Assignment 2: Capstone Practicum Assignment: Phase 2: Literature Review

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) SIDS can be described as an unexplained loss of life which occurs mostly when infants are sleeping and it affects infants within the first 12 months after birth (Adams et al., 2015). The actual cause of SIDS is not known. However, a number of researchers have suggested several methods of minimizing the risk of the syndrome, with some researchers proposing back to sleep, the use of pacifiers, and swaddling. There is a need to conduct research on ways in which the risk of SIDS can be minimized in order to reduce the mortality of infants, especially in the United States where the syndrome is the main cause of infant deaths. This paper will involve a comprehensive review of past literature on SIDS, with a focus on the proposed methods of minimizing the risk, such as the use of pacifiers and swaddling. The study aims to determine whether the use of pacifiers is significantly better in minimizing the risk of SIDS within the first 12 months of birth, compared to swaddle with arms out. Kelmanson (2013) conducted a study on the relationship between infant sleep behavior and swaddling, for two-month-old infants. The study assessed whether there existed a relationship or association between the two. The participants were healthy infants that were selected by chance from the community, with their mothers filling questionnaires on infant characteristics, demographics, and maternal attributes with a focus on swaddling and sleep behavior. The mothers described the sleep disturbances in domains such as awakenings, sleep and snoring duration, and excessive sleepiness during the day (Kelmanson, 2013). The study did not find any relationship between swaddling and the habitual position that an infant was found awake or the maternal reports on sleep disturbances (Adams et al., 2015). About the subject, Kelmanson (2013) states that the sleep behavior of infants was not found to be associated in any way with swaddling, and there was no evidence that swaddling had any benefit in influencing sleep routine that may be potentially protective against SIDS. This capstonewriting.com SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME 3 theory is consistent with my capstone project which attempts to show that the use of pacifiers is more beneficial compared to swaddling. However, the research did not involve an analysis of pacifier use benefits. The research by Kelmanson (2013) confirmed the findings of other researchers that swaddling has no significant benefit or notable influence on the sleep behavior or routine of infants. A study by the Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (2011) provided proposals for creating a secure sleeping surrounding for infants. In the task force’s recommendations, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) noted that the rate of infant mortality was increasing and the efforts to minimize the deaths had stagnated. The AAP is one of the most significant research personalities or bodies for infant care and infant health. The task force was tasked with coming up with recommendations that were not only focusing on SIDS but on all the sleep-related infant deaths from other causes such as suffocating because the risk aspects for suffocation and SIDS were the same (Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, 2011). The AAP recommended breastfeeding (Shapiro-Mendoza et al., 2015), routine immunization, avoidance of bedding that is soft, and consideration of a pacifier, amongst other recommendations. Research reviewed by the AAP had shown notable advantages of pacifier use in minimizing the risk of SIDS (Shapiro-Mendoza, 2017). Pease et al. (2016) carried out a meta-analysis on swaddling and the risk of SIDS. This study reviewed research on sleeping position and age and conducted a meta-analysis of SIDS for swaddled infants. The study found that swaddling risk varied depending on the sleep position that infants were placed, with the noted risk being at the highest for prone sleeping and supine position. Some evidence found out that the risk with swaddling increased with the age of the infant. The authors recommended that mothers avoid side and front sleeping posture to infants who are swaddled, and recommended that swaddling is