Faith Regional Health Services | living WELL | Spring 2018

6 FAITH REGIONAL HEALTH SERVICES THANKS to The Briggs and Barrett Project, every baby born at Faith Regional will go home with a Halo Sleep Sack and a copy of the book Sleep Baby: Safe and Snug , created to explain the reasons for safe sleep and other strategies for SIDS prevention. Sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, is the sudden and unexplained death of a baby younger than one year old. It’s the leading cause of death among infants, one month to one year old, and remains unpredict- able despite years of research. Infants between one and four months of age are at highest risk. However, the risk of SIDS can be reduced by following safe sleep prac- tices, including always putting infants to sleep on their backs in a safe sleep environment as follows: •  Use a firm sleep surface, such as a mattress in a safety-approved crib, covered by a fitted sheet. •  Do not use pillows, blankets, sheep- skins or crib bumpers anywhere in your baby’s sleep area. •  Keep soft objects, toys and loose bed- ding out of your baby’s sleep area. •  Do not smoke or let anyone smoke around your baby. •  Make sure nothing covers your baby’s head. •  Dress your baby in sleep clothing, such as a one-piece sleeper. •  Room share, but don’t bed share. •  Baby should not sleep in an adult bed, on a couch or on a chair alone, with you or with anyone else. The Briggs and Barrett Project The Briggs and Barrett Project was started by two area mothers, Melissa West and Allison Uecker, in memory of their sons, Briggs and Barrett, who both died of SIDS. The sleep sack enables babies to be swaddled with- out using a blanket. The Sleep Baby: Safe and Snug book is educational for parents but written in a way that can be read to children. “The love and the heart and the education that the hospital wants to promote in our community for safe sleep practices is unbelievable,” says West. “We are just so excited that they want to partner with us and really get this project going.” Safe sleep “The love and the heart and the education that the hospital wants to promote in our community for safe sleep practices is unbelievable. We are just so excited that they want to partner with us and really get this project going.” —Melissa West