Pediatrician offers tips for infant safe sleeping practices
Local pediatrician, mom share safe sleep practices following infant death in Macon County
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The recent death of a 2-month-old in Macon County is raising community awareness of safe sleeping.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is currently conducting an investigation into the infant’s death, with early indications suggesting the death was related to co-sleeping.
Knowing the dangers of co-sleeping can help prevent tragedies like this from happening.
Dr.Yameika Head, a pediatrician at Atrium Health Navicent Medical Center, stressed the dangers of co-sleeping, particularly when parents are fatigued and at risk of inadvertently rolling over and smothering their infants.
“I never want you to sleep with your baby when you’re tired,” she said. “That’s one of the main things. And always put your baby on his back to sleep and on a separate surface, a safe surface. Don’t put the pillows around the baby. Just let the baby be on that separate surface.”
Despite claims about the potential benefits of co-sleeping in terms of bonding and breastfeeding, Dr. Head says the risks far outweigh any perceived advantages.
“Skin to skin, you’re trying to bond,” she said. “You want them to sleep better, but the risk of something bad happening because you’re tired and you roll over on your baby and suffocate, that outweighs all those benefits.”
Local mom Mubiyna Archer shared her experiences and spoke about the importance of staying alert when co-sleeping occurs. She advised keeping an eye on the infant and finding ways to keep yourself awake and attentive, even if it means sitting up or using electronic devices for brief periods.
Archer also spoke about creating a safe and comfortable sleeping environment for older children to encourage them to stay in their own beds.
“I bought them cheap pillows,” she said. “Just something safe, though. Safe pillows, stuffed animals, their favorite toy or something that’ll help them, whatever they feel like and feel comfortable and attached to, something to have them stay in their bed. And also, I would read to them.”
The GBI will provide an official cause of death once the medical examiner’s autopsy results are in.
