20
electric children
The HEALTH | AUGUST, 2018
DIZBOOK.COM
BABYCENTRE
A good latch position is when your baby draw your nipple
and areola into her mouth.
No milk
low milk
Sudden infant
death syndrome
Recognising the risk and how to prevent them
S
UDDEN infant death syndrome (SIDS)
also known as cot death or crib death is
the death of a child under one year of age
with causes unknown. It is not because of
a disease or an infection,” explained Pantai
Hospital Kuala Lumpur Neonatologist and Paediatri-
cian consultant Dr Uma Sothinathan (pic).
“As difficult as it is, going for a post mortem or
considering it is important because it might give
parents an answer for future pregnancies, the things
that can be put right which was preventable or near
preventable.”
There is a trend where it becomes common in
babies two months and above with the peak being
six month and after where it becomes a little less
frequent.
Latch it right
Ensure your baby’s latch is correct to stimulate milk
production efficiently.
“A good latch stimulates milk letdown (oxytocin
hormone), leading to increase milk supply; keeping
your baby contented. It also gives a cue to the mother’s
To swaddle
your baby or not
Safe sleeping techniques
There is a few interventions that is shown to reduce
the rates of SIDS. One of it is safe sleeping.
“The easiest way to remember this is back to sleep.
Children should always be put on their back when
they are sleeping, not on side lays and not on front.
A child who is sleeping on a side lay could easily tip
and go on its front,” said Uma.
Another worry of a child sleeping on its front is
that children can sleep very deep sometimes and
might smother themselves in the process - their own
face against the mattress. Thus it is important that
a child’s mattress is a firm one - not a cushy, soft or
feathered one that fluffs in when a child lays on it –
because they could smother themselves when they
lay on it more easily.
She also advises against overheating the child as
in not over dressing kids for bed.
“It is important if it is an air conditioned room
with a temperature of between 25 – 26 degrees,
use a swaddle. If you’re using a blanket, then the
blanket should be tucked, and the child’s leg should
be towards the end of the cot before you tuck. This
prevents the child from moving towards the end and
getting its head underneath the blanket.”
T
HE delivery of the placenta tells the body to
start producing milk. This happens whether a
mother is breastfeeding or not. By day three to
five, mother’s milk comes in and volume increases.
The first milk the baby gets after birth is called
colostrum. It is rich in antibodies and other protective
factors. The small quantities give babies a chance to
learn how to suckle without being overwhelmed by
milk.
Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur Lactation consultant
Elizabeth Richard emphasised that frequent nursing
and effective suckling signal the mother’s body to
produce the amount of milk her baby needs.
Co-sleeping is also not encouraged although it is
much easier for a breastfeeding mother to have the
child right beside other than to get up and put the
child into the cot.
“She may be tired and sleep deprived. When the
child is beside, there is a possibility that you could
roll over without realising because these are not big
lumps laying beside but tiny bumps. No matter how
much you trust yourself, don’t take the chance.”
There are cots these days that are attached to the
bed. So, if the mother chooses to sleep on side, she
could attach and just move the baby into the cot. If
that is impossible, have a Moses basket beside you on
your bed. So, mothers could just lift the baby, feed and
put them back into the basket.
Two other causes are parents sleeping with the
baby on their body – overheating the child and dozing
off while watching television. The dead weight of the
parent’s arm that is holding on to the baby may make
it difficult for the infant to breath.
SWADDLING involves snugly wrapping infants in a
blanket to restrict movement. It’s been around f