Following local baby deaths, health officials warn public on danger

Two babies in Montgomery County have died in their sleep this year and five more infants are suspected of dying from unsafe sleep practices.

Following the tragedies, public health officials held a press conference Thursday morning to emphasize that the safest way for babies to sleep is alone, on their back and in a crib.

“It only takes one time for tragedy to strike,” said Jewell Good, assistant director of Montgomery County Children Services. “And we can all do our part to prevent these senseless deaths.”

Many times exhaustion can play a role. A tired caregiver can be feeding a baby, fall asleep and roll over on to a baby, Good said. She recommended that if a caregiver is alone and tired, to set an alarm to reduce the chance of this happening.

Babies should sleep alone, with no other adults or siblings, and with no toys, blankets, pillows or bumpers in the crib, she said.

“I’d like to take a step back and remember that all of these fatalities involved real people, real families who have lost their children, and I’d like for all of us to take a moment and imagine what these families must be going through right now,” Good said.

MORE: Blankets, bed-sharing common in accidental baby suffocations

Experts recommend that infants sleep on firm mattresses in their own cribs or bassinets but in their parents’ room for the first year. A tight-fitting top sheet is the only crib bedding recommended, to avoid suffocation or strangulation.

Some residents are eligible for free cribs through Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County and can call 224-3696 to learn more, according to Angela Grayson, with Public Health’s Cribs for Kids program.

Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County is also starting the Safe Sleep Ambassador Program, which will do safe sleep education at public and private organizations, including faith based organizations.

Accidental suffocation is a leading cause of injury deaths in U.S. infants and common scenarios involve blankets, bed-sharing with parents and other unsafe sleep practices, an analysis of government data found earlier this year.

Among 250 suffocation deaths, roughly 70 percent involved blankets, pillows or other soft bedding that blocked infants’ airways. Half of these soft bedding-related deaths occurred in an adult bed where most babies were sleeping on their stomachs.

“Infants have not developed enough strength to pull air in or push air out when the chest or abdomen becomes compressed or when the mouth or nose is obstructed,” said Dr. Kent Harshbarger, Montgomery County coroner. “It takes very little pressure or weight on the infant.”

Addressing sleep deaths is one part of Public Health’s strategy to address the area’s high rate of infant deaths.

MORE: Gov. Mike DeWine on Ohio’s infant deaths: ‘This must stop’

Ohio’s infant mortality rate is high and Gov. Mike DeWine has called the state’s rate shocking and unacceptable.

The main driver of infant mortality is prematurity, which leads to low birth weight and increased risk of health problems or death.

Ohio’s infant mortality rate — the number of babies who die before age 1 per 1,000 live births — ranks among the highest in the nation. In 2017, Ohio’s overall rate was 7.2 but the rate for black babies was 15.1 while the rate for white babies was 5.5.

In Montgomery County, the black infant mortality rate in 2017 was four times higher than for white infants, according to Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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