Dummies may reduce the risk of Cot Death

Research presented by the Centre's Rosemary Horne at the annual Pediatric Academic Societies' meeting in the US this week shows how and why giving your baby a dummy (soother) reduces their risk of Sudden Infant Death.

The work is featured by the ABC Science today:
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2013/05/06/3751068.htm

Rosemary and her team in the Infant and Child Health Theme at The Ritchie Centre  have provided world-first insight into what happens when a baby sucks on a dummy. They have shown that sucking increases a newborn baby's heart rate function, improving how the heart rate responds the blood pressure. This effect is seen in the babies who were given a dummy even when they weren't using the dummy.

How is this related to Cot Death (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)?

Rosemary's team have previously shown that babies at high risk of SIDS are much less able to make adjustments in their heart rate and blood pressure and less able to arouse from sleep when blood pressure falls. This new work shows that babies who are given a dummy have much more responsive heart rates and so more able to compensate for changes in blood pressure. This suggests that they will be at much lower risk of SIDS.

The excitement in this work is that it provides an understanding of why using a dummy may reduce SIDS. It gives new parents the science they so badly need to help them best look after their precious newborn baby.

As always, there is more to do and much more to learn but at least Rosemary and her team have provided one more piece of the jigsaw.

Looking forward to the end of SIDS. Well done Team.