SAN ANTONIO – October marks Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month. The Healthy Start Program at Metro Health is helping raise awareness for the sudden deaths of babies in our community.
On Sunday, Oct. 20, Metro Health hosted its 11th Annual Baby Buggy Walk. The event aimed to educate parents about the importance of safe sleep habits and resources to help families in San Antonio.
The event was held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ramon V. Quintero Community Center. It included a one-mile walk, a toddler trot, a remembrance ceremony, a produce giveaway, education sessions, and a fun zone.
According to Kori Eberle, the Health Program Manager at Healthy Start, SIDS was the third leading cause of death for infants around the world. She said most of these deaths are associated with co-sleeping or sleep-related issues.
Eberle stresses the importance of the ABCs when it comes to your baby sleeping.
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A: Baby should be alone
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B: Baby needs to be on their back
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C: Baby needs to be in a crib or flat surface
“We want to make sure families promote room-sharing but not bed-sharing,” Eberle said.
It’s also important to remember not to have anything in your baby’s crib. This includes pillows, blankets, toys, and even pets.
Another aspect of safe sleep practices includes breastfeeding.
“There is a risk with breastfeeding because you do get all comfy and cozy with baby and tend to fall asleep sometimes,” said Eberle.
Eberle suggests having someone there to wake a breastfeeding mom or setting an alarm.
Mercedes and Darian Cervantes just had their second child, Natalie, two months ago. The pair says raising a newborn for the second time has been challenging, but watching their friends and family step up to help has made it a little easier.
“It’s like they say, you can’t raise a child alone. You have to have a whole community to do it,” Darian said.
Parenthood is a privilege for the Cervantes family, but they also understand the pain of losing a baby.
“The loss of a child hurts. We unfortunately have lost one when it was a miscarriage. But it’s still difficult,” he continued.
The Cervantes came to the Baby Buggy Walk to learn about the resources offered to parents in San Antonio and to learn how they can support other families.
“When you actually get to talk to someone in person and see them, it’s it’s beneficial because you get to see how they can probably relate to you and how you can relate to them,” Mercedes Cervantes said. “So it’s more of like a one-on-one connection versus just scouring the Internet over stuff.”