RICHMOND, Va. — Navigating motherhood can be a struggle, especially for first-time or expecting moms.
With so much information online, how do you know what to focus on to help keep you and your baby safe?
Over the next 20 weeks, as Caroline Coleburn waits for the arrival of her first child, she's helping to answer your questions, starting with safe sleep practices at night and while feeding your baby.
A recent University of Virginia study shows that of nearly 8,000 sudden infant deaths (SIDS) reviewed from 2011 to 2020, almost 60 percent of the infants who died were sharing a sleep surface, like a bed.
That’s why experts, including Margo Webb from the Richmond Henrico Health District, want to remind you to never co-sleep with your baby.
"They're not big enough to, like, push you off and give you an elbow and fight you off yet," Webb said. "So that's really important. One thing I did when I had my young son is I made sure I had a bassinet or a pack-and-play or some sort of self-contained crib right alongside my bed."
Inside that bassinet or crib, Webb says to avoid loose blankets, opt for a fitted sheet on a firm mattress, and make sure you put your baby to sleep on their back.
"It's not really the best thing to put them on their side or their stomach," said Webb. "As they get a little older, they can start to move and roll and turn, and imagine if a baby is on their side. Next thing you know, they're face down. If they can't roll themselves back, that can be an issue."
Webb also encourages you to consider a sleep sack if you’re worried about your baby getting cold.
"If a baby moves and gets into a position that they can't sort of get themselves out of or move something away from their airways, you don't want to have blankets or fuzzy things that they can potentially get their face caught in," explained Webb.
What Webb believes will help families the most, though, is talking about these best practices with family and loved ones.
"I think talking about this at home really will be your best defense," she explained. "You know, taking some of those old-school ways and saying, 'Hey, but here's some new reasons why we should have some different conversations at the house and amongst family members about how we take care of our little ones.' I think that's really the best way to kind of fight the incidents of these happening."
The American Academy of Pediatrics wants moms to understand that, especially if you are breastfeeding, while sharing a bed with your baby to sleep is unsafe, they do believe beds are safer than chairs and sofas if you are worried about falling asleep while breastfeeding.
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