These days they are talking a lot about the dodd, a couple who in January had their second child, a baby who in April he lost his life because of a postural asphyxiation, also known as positional asphyxiation.
He had not yet turned three months and his family knew, in the worst possible way, how dangerous it is to put babies to sleep in car seats, both inside the car and outside, a custom that many parents carry out in their own homes. So that it does not happen again, we will explain what is postural or positional asphyxia.
The story of Shepard Dodd
As we read in The Voice of the Wall, the little son, named Shepard, was being cared for in a nursery when one of the workers put him to sleep in a safety seat, instead of in a crib or flat surface.
Two hours later there was nothing to do. The little boy had died from a postural asphyxia. From then on, they decided to arm themselves with courage, appear on television and tell their story to inform families and try not to happen again:
In Babies and more, they almost lost their baby due to postural asphyxiation: beware of prolonged use of car seats!What is postural or positional asphyxia
The moment a baby is born, it passes from a liquid medium, floating (the amniotic fluid), to our dry environment, in which we live under the force of gravity. The babies they don't have enough strength to stay seated and therefore they must sleep and remain lying.
The moment we sit it in a chair, if it is not properly placed, its own body (due to the force of gravity) flexes on itself, making a "C" too pronounced that makes it difficult for them to expand the thorax and the abdomen to breathe If the head also falls forward, with the chin in the chest, the difficulty of catching air is much greater to the point of cut off the air flow. If that position is not remedied, death is imminent.
Only for the car and not for more than an hour and a half
A year ago we explained: the stroller seats for the car they should only be used in the car, where babies should be well located and not for more than an hour and a half.
When we say well placed it is with the harness adapted to the volume of the baby's body so that it holds its shoulders attached to the chair, to prevent them from falling forward. Similarly, the head should be aligned with the body, not forward.
What's more, now there are alternatives, such as back-up chairs, in which the baby is sitting but in a more reclined position and prevents the head from moving forward. This makes the typical maxi-cosi make less and less sense.
In Babies and more Why babies can not be more than an hour and a half in the car seatPediatrics published in 2001 a study in which they observed 50 full-term newborns and 50 premature 36-week-olds sitting for 60 minutes in an approved car seat. On average, the oxygen saturation of all babies dropped from 97% to 94%, but 7 of the babies (3 premature and 4 term) they had an oxygen saturation of less than 90% for 20 minutes. 12% of premature babies suffered apnea (the baby stops breathing for a few seconds) or bradycardia (the heart goes slower than it should). For you to have an indicator, the oxygen saturation of a baby must be between 96% and 100%.
In 2002 another study evaluated the status of 15 newborns when they were lying in a crib or sitting in a chair. The average oxygen saturation when they were sitting was 95.8% by 98.8% when they were lying.
Another study published in 2007 compared the consequences of having the baby in a car seat with the cuckoo or carrycot for the car and in a hospital crib, to have the reference. The babies were controlled in the crib for 30 minutes and in the car devices for 60 minutes. They saw that the average oxygen saturation was 97.9% when they were in the hospital's cradle, 96.3% in the carrycot and 95.7% in the chair. They concluded that the use of the devices for the car should be limited only to the car, and that should not be used as substitutes for the crib.
Given this situation, researchers are looking for solutions that can help avoid episodes of desaturation and apnea: in 2013 a study showed that the use of a foam that holds the head in a neutral position (without being able to fall forward) decreased serious saturation drops and apneas, but not minor ones. And this year other researchers have presented a belt with pressure sensors to control breathing and sensors to monitor heart rate.
Given this evidence, babies should not take a nap, at night, in car seats, or in hammocks, because sitting breathe worse than lying. Such retention devices must be used only in the car, where they must be positioned so that neither the head nor the shoulders fall forward and not remain in that position for more than an hour and a half. If we are going to make a longer trip, it is recommended stop periodically to get the baby out of the chair and allow him to recover oxygen, breathe well again, eat a little if he needs it and, after a while, continue the journey.
