Offered so babies have a safe place to sleep

The Lawrence County Health Department is offering expectant and new mothers a free pack n’ play so their child to have a safe place to sleep.

Debbie Fisher, a registered nurse at the health department, is in charge of the grant that supplies the pack n’ plays in an effort to prevent infant deaths.

“Every week in Ohio, three babies die of sleep-related incidents,” she said. “Some of these are Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, some are accidental suffocations where someone rolls on top of them or the baby rolls off the bed.”

She said in the United States every year, some 36,000 babies die from sleep-related incidents.

She added the before 1992, the number of deaths was around 8,000.

“But with sleep safe campaigns and things like that, they have cut the number in half,” Fisher said. The health department got a state Maternal Child Health Grant and chose the “safe sleep” option. They partnered with Cribs for Kids and were able get pack n’ plays for parents who don’t otherwise have a place for their baby to sleep.

“The peak time for SIDS is between two and four months, but it can happen from the time the baby is one month old up to 12 months of age,” Fisher said. “So our criteria for providing pack n’ plays is the baby has to be between new born and 12 months of age or the mom has to be in her third trimester of pregnancy.”

The parents also have to demonstrate a need for bed their baby to sleep in.

“A lot of times when asked where their baby sleeps right now, they say ‘With me’ or ‘In a swing,’” Fisher said. “It is much better for the baby to have its own place to sleep.”

To be eligible for the program, the mother has to live in Ohio and have to be eligible to qualify for the Women and Infant Children program, although they don’t have to be enrolled in that program, the health department follows the same income guidelines.

“But if they qualify for a medical card, they qualify for WIC,” she said.

After they apply for the pack n’ play, Fisher will talk to them to determine need and then sets up an appointment at the health department office.

“When they come in, there is a video they have to watch and there is some literature I go through with them,” Fisher said. “Then I show them how to set up the pack n’ play.”

Fisher said there are pack n’ plays available and that they are already approved to get more after the 2018 fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

Although the exact cause of SIDS is unknown, research shows the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death can be reduced by putting babies on their backs to sleep for naps and at night. The infant should sleep on a firm surface like a mattress a safety-approved crib, covered by a fitted sheet.

Parents should share a room with their baby, but not their bed. Infants should not sleep in an adult bed, on a couch, or on a chair.

Keep soft objects, such as pillows and loose bedding, out of baby’s sleep area.

Mother should not smoke during pregnancy or around the baby because these are strong risk factors for SIDS. The risk of SIDS is even greater when a baby shares a bed with a smoker.

The Lawrence County Health Department is located at 2122 South 8th Street in Ironton.
For information or to an appointment, call Fisher at 740-532-3962