Latest news with #SIDS
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Record
Simple mistake parents make during a heatwave could be deadly for your child
We've all got our children's best interests at heart but efforts to protect them could be putting them in danger Scotland is edging ever closer to the possibility of a heatwave, as a blast of hot weather and sunshine arrives in the UK this weekend. The Met Office has even gone as far as to issue a yellow health warning for much of England. For Scots, if Thursday and Sunday in particular play ball with high temperatures, we could establish an official heatwave of our own, too. This is when Scotland enjoys consistent mercury on or over 25C for three days in a row. However, while parents and children are frolicking in the sea, building sand castles in the beach, or playing in the garden, there is one simple mistake they could make in the heatwave that could be deadly for their children. A recent piece from Netmums has warned against the common practice of covering your baby's pram with a blanket or muslin on sunny days. Experts warn that this can lead to dangerously high temperatures inside the pram. You may do it to shield your wee ones from the sun or help them nap, but a covered pram can heat up like an oven in minutes, putting your baby at serious risk of overheating or even heatstroke. The Lullaby Trust charity warns that doing so could raise the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). To illustrate the danger, childcare provider Sophie Campbell conducted an experiment using a thermometer and a child's doll. In a Facebook post, she explained how the temperature inside a covered pram or pushchair can rise. She dressed the doll, named Dolly, with factor 50, 5* UVA sunscreen, a drink for hydration, and a sun hat. Despite these precautions, she decided to cover Dolly with a blanket for shade and placed a thermometer inside. The temperature in the buggy started at 35C, but after just 12 minutes, it rose to 45C, and after another 15 minutes, it crept up to an alarming 50C. The gravity of the situation was clear for all to see, and Sophie used the example to urge parents to think again when using blankets for shade, as the potential consequences for a real child are horrendous. What's more, a cover can also hamper with a parent's ability to see their child therefore making it difficult for them to check on their tot or monitor their temperature. So, what is the alternative? The organisation advises using a clip-on sunshade or parasol for a pram or buggy. Svante Norgren, a paediatrician at a children's hospital in Stocklholm, threw weight behind the advice, telling Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet: "It gets extremely hot down in the pram, something like a thermos. "There is also bad circulation of the air and it is hard to see the baby with a cover over the pram." Sophie went on: "It doesn't matter what you put over the top, a muslin, blanket or towel, the results will all be similar, and the outcome could be horrendous. 'Still to this day, I see babies/children in pushchairs on very sunny and hot days with blankets draped over them to block the sun and heat out." She ended with a final plea to parents, adding: "Please do not do this." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Pacific News In Brief For 19 June
Papua New Guinea - mining The mining company New Porgera is celebrating achieving its production targets, despite the impact of continuing lawlessness and a devastating landslide in the region. The new company, run by Barrick Gold, but with a significant PNG Government shareholding, replaced the former company after a lease dispute shut it down for more than three years. The Porgera region of Enga Province experienced the devastating Mulitaka landslide, which claimed many lives and shut the main road link out of the district. There have also been extensive law and order issues that resulted in a state of emergency being implemented, and dozens of arrests being made, many for illegal mining within the mine pit. Samoa - election Samoa's Electoral Commissioner Toleafoa Tuiafelolo Stanley says approximately 30 percent of voter registrations are still pending with just over two weeks to go. As of Tuesday night, the count of registered voters reached 81,280, aiming for a target of 117,225 based on eligibility numbers from the last election. The total overseas registrations amount to 201, with 183 of those still incomplete, leaving 18 who have successfully completed their registrations, including their biometric details. Samoa's election will be held on 29 August and the last day to register to vote is 3 July. Fiji - health Fiji is reviewing some of its health legislation, including the more than 100-year-old Burial and Cremation Act of 1911. The Ministry of Health & Medical Services said the move aims to align existing legislation with contemporary health challenges and improve public health services. Other acts under review include the Public Health Act of 1935, the Nursing Act, the Quarantine Act 1965, and the Radiation Health Act of 2009. After the review is completed within the ministry, it will be carried out among Government and local stakeholders, international partners, and the general public. Solomon Islands The Solomon Islands Prime Minister has called for stronger global support for small island developing states (SIDS) at the OPEC Fund Development Forum in Austria. Jeremiah Manele arrived in Vienna at the weekend after attending the third United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, where he joined global leaders in advancing international cooperation on ocean protection and sustainable marine resource management. In his opening address in Vienna he highlighted the challenges SIDS face. "We call for innovative solutions, including debt-relief solutions," he said. "Moreover I call for climate finance that is fast, predictable and tailored to the needs of small island developing states - not entangled in bureaucracy."
CTV News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Andre Pettipas channels grief into new song about SIDS
Andre Pettipas released his new single, Gypsophila, in honour of his niece Blake who passed away from SIDS. (Source: Andre Pettipas) East Coast rocker Andre Pettipas is showing a softer, more vulnerable side with the release of his new single, Gypsophila. The song was written in memory of his niece Blake, who died at just three months old from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Known for his high-energy performances and carefree spirit, Pettipas says this track is unlike anything he's released before. 'It's emotional. Every time I perform it, it takes me back to that moment – but there's healing in it too,' he said in an interview with CTV Atlantic's Katie Kelly. The song's title, Gypsophila – also known as baby's breath – is a nod to the flower that symbolizes SIDS awareness. What makes the track even more meaningful is the collaboration behind it. Pettipas worked with Jeremy Taggart, former drummer for Our Lady Peace and one of his longtime musical heroes. Andre Pettipas, Jeremy Taggart and Kara Gillis (Blake's Mom) Andre Pettipas, Jeremy Taggart and Kara Gillis (Blake's Mom). (Source: East Coast Dna) 'I reached out to Jeremy, told him about the song and what it meant to me – and he didn't hesitate,' Pettipas said. 'He jumped in to help, and that really meant the world.' The release of Gypsophila coincides with Giantstock, a local festival Pettipas created, that is held in Merigomish, N.S. 'Giantstock is a non-for-profit and any money made after expenses goes to baby's breath which is the only national foundation for SIDS awareness.' 'I hope it connects with people,' Pettipas said. 'I'm trying to raise awareness and healing.'
Scottish Sun
6 days ago
- Health
- Scottish Sun
My family is haunted by finding my 9-month-old brother dead in his cot after we put him to sleep the wrong way
Content note: baby loss. Emma and her mum Carol share how they discovered little Neil lying silently under a blanket - and the devastating impact the loss has had FOREVER CHANGED My family is haunted by finding my 9-month-old brother dead in his cot after we put him to sleep the wrong way Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) I WILL never forget the morning we found my nine-month-old brother Neil dead in his cot. Mum had come to wake me first so we could get the baby up and dressed together. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Emma Murray (left) with her mum Carol and baby brother Neil before he died Credit: Emma Murray 6 Emma says her family was haunted by the loss of Neil aged nine months Credit: Emma Murray I was three and a big girl now, with big sister responsibilities and a grown up-looking bedroom with orange flowery wallpaper - the sort interior designers now call retro. I was already awake, and I held mum's hand as we walked to Neil's room. She let me go in first. I peeked over the top of the cot and said: 'Neil's not there, where is he?' Mum rushed over, pulled the blanket back and her face was frozen. It was so scary. Did I scream or was it her? Someone screamed. And then it becomes a blur. The shockwaves of that morning continue to affect our family, from Beckenham, London, over 40 years later. It was February 1973, and cot deaths, as they were then referred to, were something that happened to other people, spoken about in hushed tones, and, let's be honest, often viewed with an element of suspicion. It was also a time when the best-selling book on babies, which had pride of place on my parent's bookshelf, told mums and dads to put tots to sleep on their stomachs and wrap them up warmly. In 2025, thank goodness, there is far more awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) - the sudden and unexpected death of a baby where no cause is found - which killed my brother. We now know the safest way is on their backs and a cool environment, with no danger of overheating, but SIDS still affects around 200 families every year in the UK, and the emotional toll of the losses remains as difficult as ever. Beautiful' baby boy dies after mum fell asleep cuddling him into her when he woke up crying in the night After Neil died, my mum Carol and dad Ian became advocates for the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths, which is now The Lullaby Trust. Dad, a journalist, wrote a heart-wrenching story for the local newspaper, which described that terrible morning. I even stayed up 'late' with nan and grandpa to watch him speak about it on the BBC TV show Nationwide, and there were numerous bake sales at local fetes to raise funds. When my brother Andrew came along in 1974, I think it was this very newspaper that published an article with a photo of our family alongside an article about how it's possible to exist after losing a child. We looked happy - but the problem was, we were falling apart. We'd had no proper support, no room to grieve, and we still had so many questions about how and why Neil was gone. This came to something of a halt when dad's job took us to live in Paris. A line of some sort was drawn, except, of course, it wasn't. We were left with the black silent hole of his absence. There was nothing that could fill the ghastliness of my son not crying Carol Mum threw herself into Paris life. She had learnt French as a teenager and had already lived there in the 60s, working as a bilingual secretary for the Ariane space project. But she had changed. I knew it, and I could feel it more and more as I grew older. Dad's job, now foreign correspondent, took the family to different places - Brussels, Jerusalem, Bonn. Mum played the part of the supportive other half, but she had lost her mojo. She'd had all sorts of ambitions - teacher training college, a master's degree, the job for Arianne - but she never really went back to work. Over time, she stopped being sporty, when she used to play tennis, hockey and swim a lot, and she put on weight. There was drinking, perhaps not that unusual in an expat journalist house in the 70s and 80s, but still, it was different. Don't get me wrong, Andrew and I had a marvellous childhood, full of love, fun holidays, travel, fascinating people, and lively chats. But as we got older, we could feel the tension growing between mum and dad. 6 Carol, her husband Ian, and their children Andrew and Emma Credit: Emma Murray 6 Emma with her three children, Izzy, Alfie and Maddie, on Mother's Day Credit: Emma Murray One day, there was yet another stressful exchange between our parents, with mum flouncing off to bed. This time, Dad, teary-eyed, said: 'She has never been the same since Neil died.' I was stunned. I had never heard him say Neil's name before. I must have been about 18. I'd grown up used to saying: 'Oh yes, I had a brother who died of cot death,' without really connecting the words with my memory of that morning or my understanding of what it must have done to my parents. After that, I did ask a few more questions. My aunt sent me that first article dad had written; my uncle agreed that mum was never the same since Neil's sudden death. Then, in 2000, Dad died, aged just 59, of cancer. He missed meeting his first grandchild, my daughter, Izzy, by four months. What is sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)? Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden and unexpected death of a baby under the age of 12 months where no cause is found. Around 89 per cent of deaths happen when the tot is under six months old. It is relatively rare, with 182 babies dying from SIDS in the UK in 2021. While doctors don't know exactly what triggers it, there are ways to significantly reduce the chances of SIDS occurring: Put your baby on their back for all sleeps - day and night Share a room with your baby for the first six months Place your baby on their own, clear, flat sleep surface (e.g. cot or Moses basket) Keep your baby smoke-free during pregnancy and after birth Never sleep on a sofa or armchair Do not co-sleep if you or anyone in the bed has been drinking alcohol, smoking, or taking drugs or medication that makes you drowsy These things are especially important for babies who were born prematurely or of a low birth weight, as they are typically at higher risk of SIDS. Source: The Lullaby Trust Again, this was all played out in public, with dad writing his final article days before he left us. He described his feelings, the ones he wouldn't talk to us about, to the readers of The Times newspaper. In that article, he wrote: 'My pregnant daughter has a little lump inside her kicking and fighting for life. 'I have a little lump in me which is kicking and fighting for my life and it will win.' He must have been thinking about Neil, but, again, we did not talk about it. Dad's death catapulted mum into a deep despair. More drink, angry moods, strange behaviour, until eventually, she moved to a home in Deal, Kent, where she left us in February 2025. Did my mum resent me because I survived? In her last years, mum had started talking about Neil, but our relationship was so strained by then, I didn't have the courage to ask her more. Did she resent me because I survived? Was she worried that Andrew might feel he was here because Neil wasn't? Did she blame dad for the media coverage? So many questions. In the end, I asked none. Who could ever get over the death of a child? I can't imagine anything happening to my amazing three children, Alfie, Maddie and Izzy, or to my brilliant niece and nephew, currently living, as fate would have it, in Paris. My family's experience could have turned me into an anxious mother. But by the time Izzy arrived, there was so much good advice on how to keep babies safe when they are sleeping, I was able to build a bedtime and sleep routine quickly, and with confidence. It's thanks to The Lullaby Trust, the charity that mum and dad were such great advocates for in its early days. We were pleased to reconnect with them when mum died to make them the beneficiaries of all donations for her. It was at mum's funeral that I met her friend from the local writer's club. She asked me if I had read mum's story, written as part of their '17 minutes series', where members were given 17 minutes to write something down. 6 Andrew, Carol and Emma on holiday in the 1980s Credit: Emma Murray You have heard my story, now here is my mum's. Carol Anne Murray, mum of three, survived by two, written in 17 minutes, 45 years after losing her son, Neil. We talked together, Ian and I. We spoke about everything under the sun, except for the one great hole that was in our lives. How could it have happened? We had a beautiful daughter, chatty and bubbly. We now had a son. How wonderfully lucky, we thought, one of each. How neat. But then, one morning, I went to his cot to get him up and there was no response. The unbelievable had happened. Why? How? I screamed. Ian came upstairs. He was silent. It was then that I knew he had already gone into the bedroom and found what I had found. He had gone downstairs in disbelief. We called an ambulance, of course. We hoped desperately that something could be done. But what could they do? They just swaddled him and took him away. Forty years later I still feel it, just as if it had happened yesterday Carol We were left with the black silent hole of his absence. Later that day the doctor told us that it was certainly a case of SIDS. It now had a name. But that was all. There was nothing that could fill the ghastliness of his not crying. Neil had cried a lot. I wondered if his crying had been a warning. Had he known all along he would die? But there was no going back, his absence was so obvious. Our daughter's tears said it all. We would never be able to see him again. One day, as we walked home from nursery, we passed by a dead pigeon. 'Hmmmm,' she commented. 'He's just like Neil Bruce John, he won't move again either.' Her philosophical analysis became an acceptance. We went on to have another son a year later. Forty years later I still feel it, just as if it had happened yesterday. I have never forgotten Neil Bruce John. The ABCs of safer sleep EXPERT help is freely available from The Lullaby Trust, which exists to keep babies safe by offering advice, and support grieving families. By investing more than £12million in research, the charity has overseen the reduction of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by 80 per cent, saving 30,000 babies since 1991. It wants all families to know the ABCs of safer sleep: Always sleep your baby on their back, in a clear cot or sleep space. Following these rules, day and night, will help reduce the risk of SIDS. If you are grieving, you can find support on The Lullaby Trust website, by calling the bereavement helpline on 0808 802 6868, or emailing support@
The Sun
6 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
My family is haunted by finding my 9-month-old brother dead in his cot after we put him to sleep the wrong way
I WILL never forget the morning we found my nine-month-old brother Neil dead in his cot. Mum had come to wake me first so we could get the baby up and dressed together. 6 6 I was three and a big girl now, with big sister responsibilities and a grown up-looking bedroom with orange flowery wallpaper - the sort interior designers now call retro. I was already awake, and I held mum's hand as we walked to Neil's room. She let me go in first. I peeked over the top of the cot and said: 'Neil's not there, where is he?' Mum rushed over, pulled the blanket back and her face was frozen. It was so scary. Did I scream or was it her? Someone screamed. And then it becomes a blur. The shockwaves of that morning continue to affect our family, from Beckenham, London, over 40 years later. It was February 1973, and cot deaths, as they were then referred to, were something that happened to other people, spoken about in hushed tones, and, let's be honest, often viewed with an element of suspicion. It was also a time when the best-selling book on babies, which had pride of place on my parent's bookshelf, told mums and dads to put tots to sleep on their stomachs and wrap them up warmly. In 2025, thank goodness, there is far more awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) - the sudden and unexpected death of a baby where no cause is found - which killed my brother. We now know the safest way is on their backs and a cool environment, with no danger of overheating, but SIDS still affects around 200 families every year in the UK, and the emotional toll of the losses remains as difficult as ever. Beautiful' baby boy dies after mum fell asleep cuddling him into her when he woke up crying in the night After Neil died, my mum Carol and dad Ian became advocates for the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths, which is now The Lullaby Trust. Dad, a journalist, wrote a heart-wrenching story for the local newspaper, which described that terrible morning. I even stayed up 'late' with nan and grandpa to watch him speak about it on the BBC TV show Nationwide, and there were numerous bake sales at local fetes to raise funds. When my brother Andrew came along in 1974, I think it was this very newspaper that published an article with a photo of our family alongside an article about how it's possible to exist after losing a child. We looked happy - but the problem was, we were falling apart. We'd had no proper support, no room to grieve, and we still had so many questions about how and why Neil was gone. This came to something of a halt when dad's job took us to live in Paris. A line of some sort was drawn, except, of course, it wasn't. We were left with the black silent hole of his absence. There was nothing that could fill the ghastliness of my son not crying CarolNeil's mum Mum threw herself into Paris life. She had learnt French as a teenager and had already lived there in the 60s, working as a bilingual secretary for the Ariane space project. But she had changed. I knew it, and I could feel it more and more as I grew older. Dad's job, now foreign correspondent, took the family to different places - Brussels, Jerusalem, Bonn. Mum played the part of the supportive other half, but she had lost her mojo. She'd had all sorts of ambitions - teacher training college, a master's degree, the job for Arianne - but she never really went back to work. Over time, she stopped being sporty, when she used to play tennis, hockey and swim a lot, and she put on weight. There was drinking, perhaps not that unusual in an expat journalist house in the 70s and 80s, but still, it was different. Don't get me wrong, Andrew and I had a marvellous childhood, full of love, fun holidays, travel, fascinating people, and lively chats. But as we got older, we could feel the tension growing between mum and dad. 6 6 One day, there was yet another stressful exchange between our parents, with mum flouncing off to bed. This time, Dad, teary-eyed, said: 'She has never been the same since Neil died.' I was stunned. I had never heard him say Neil's name before. I must have been about 18. I'd grown up used to saying: 'Oh yes, I had a brother who died of cot death,' without really connecting the words with my memory of that morning or my understanding of what it must have done to my parents. After that, I did ask a few more questions. My aunt sent me that first article dad had written; my uncle agreed that mum was never the same since Neil's sudden death. Then, in 2000, Dad died, aged just 59, of cancer. He missed meeting his first grandchild, my daughter, Izzy, by four months. What is sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)? Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden and unexpected death of a baby under the age of 12 months where no cause is found. Around 89 per cent of deaths happen when the tot is under six months old. It is relatively rare, with 182 babies dying from SIDS in the UK in 2021. While doctors don't know exactly what triggers it, there are ways to significantly reduce the chances of SIDS occurring: Put your baby on their back for all sleeps - day and night Share a room with your baby for the first six months Place your baby on their own, clear, flat sleep surface (e.g. cot or Moses basket) Keep your baby smoke-free during pregnancy and after birth Never sleep on a sofa or armchair Do not co-sleep if you or anyone in the bed has been drinking alcohol, smoking, or taking drugs or medication that makes you drowsy These things are especially important for babies who were born prematurely or of a low birth weight, as they are typically at higher risk of SIDS. Source: The Lullaby Trust Again, this was all played out in public, with dad writing his final article days before he left us. He described his feelings, the ones he wouldn't talk to us about, to the readers of The Times newspaper. In that article, he wrote: 'My pregnant daughter has a little lump inside her kicking and fighting for life. 'I have a little lump in me which is kicking and fighting for my life and it will win.' He must have been thinking about Neil, but, again, we did not talk about it. Dad's death catapulted mum into a deep despair. More drink, angry moods, strange behaviour, until eventually, she moved to a home in Deal, Kent, where she left us in February 2025. Did my mum resent me because I survived? In her last years, mum had started talking about Neil, but our relationship was so strained by then, I didn't have the courage to ask her more. Did she resent me because I survived? Was she worried that Andrew might feel he was here because Neil wasn't? Did she blame dad for the media coverage? So many questions. In the end, I asked none. Who could ever get over the death of a child? I can't imagine anything happening to my amazing three children, Alfie, Maddie and Izzy, or to my brilliant niece and nephew, currently living, as fate would have it, in Paris. My family's experience could have turned me into an anxious mother. But by the time Izzy arrived, there was so much good advice on how to keep babies safe when they are sleeping, I was able to build a bedtime and sleep routine quickly, and with confidence. It's thanks to The Lullaby Trust, the charity that mum and dad were such great advocates for in its early days. We were pleased to reconnect with them when mum died to make them the beneficiaries of all donations for her. It was at mum's funeral that I met her friend from the local writer's club. She asked me if I had read mum's story, written as part of their '17 minutes series', where members were given 17 minutes to write something down. 6 You have heard my story, now here is my mum's. Carol Anne Murray, mum of three, survived by two, written in 17 minutes, 45 years after losing her son, Neil. We talked together, Ian and I. We spoke about everything under the sun, except for the one great hole that was in our lives. How could it have happened? We had a beautiful daughter, chatty and bubbly. We now had a son. How wonderfully lucky, we thought, one of each. How neat. But then, one morning, I went to his cot to get him up and there was no response. The unbelievable had happened. Why? How? I screamed. Ian came upstairs. He was silent. It was then that I knew he had already gone into the bedroom and found what I had found. He had gone downstairs in disbelief. We called an ambulance, of course. We hoped desperately that something could be done. But what could they do? They just swaddled him and took him away. We were left with the black silent hole of his absence. Later that day the doctor told us that it was certainly a case of SIDS. It now had a name. But that was all. There was nothing that could fill the ghastliness of his not crying. Neil had cried a lot. I wondered if his crying had been a warning. Had he known all along he would die? But there was no going back, his absence was so obvious. Our daughter's tears said it all. We would never be able to see him again. One day, as we walked home from nursery, we passed by a dead pigeon. 'Hmmmm,' she commented. 'He's just like Neil Bruce John, he won't move again either.' Her philosophical analysis became an acceptance. We went on to have another son a year later. Forty years later I still feel it, just as if it had happened yesterday. I have never forgotten Neil Bruce John. The ABCs of safer sleep EXPERT help is freely available from The Lullaby Trust, which exists to keep babies safe by offering advice, and support grieving families. By investing more than £12million in research, the charity has overseen the reduction of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by 80 per cent, saving 30,000 babies since 1991. It wants all families to know the ABCs of safer sleep: A lways sleep your baby on their b ack, in a c lear cot or sleep space. Following these rules, day and night, will help reduce the risk of SIDS. If you are grieving, you can find support on The Lullaby Trust website, by calling the bereavement helpline on 0808 802 6868, or emailing support@ 6
