Infant Safety

12/03/2001

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently advised that sleeping infants should be placed on their backs or sides rather than on their stomachs. Various foreign studies show that this can cut the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, though doctors aren't sure why. These positions are not recommended, however, for premature infants with breathing problems or for babies with chronic stomach upset.

Chiropractors Know Why! Many infants who die from SIDS have had serious injury to the brain stem during birth. Putting such an infant on its stomach turns the head, twists the spinal cord and creates or increases pressure at this vital area. If an infant already has any vertebral misalgnments, the stomach position will aggrevate the problem.

So be sure to ask us to check your child! Adult stomach sleepers need to beware too! An AMA study of autopsies of infants who died of SIDS revealed that 85% of them had a misalignment of the top vertebra. This type of misalignment is easily caused when doctors pull on the infants head during delivery, whether manually, with forceps or through vacuum extraction. It can be easily corrected with chiropractic care.