Teenage mums need to follow safe sleeping practices to prevent SIDS -Women’s health issue

A recent complementary medicine research study has found that although teenage mothers know the recommendations in regards to safe sleeping practices, many deliberately do not follow safe sleeping recommendation for their infants.

Dr. Michelle Caraballo and researchers from the University of Colorado and Children’s Hospital Colorado found that most of the teenage mothers were familiar with SIDS and the anti-SIDS recommendations such as;

• against co-sleeping
• use of blankets
• improper positioning of pillows

The most common reasons that the teenage mums gave for co-sleeping were the perception that they felt that their babies slept better and they themselves felt the baby was safer.

This research highlights the needs for new approaches targeting teenage mothers to improve safe sleep behaviours in this high-risk group.