This term we have been working on our speeches leading up to the Pukekohe Intermediate Speech Competition 2010. Our class first has our own compeytition and the teacher will chose the two top year 7s and the two top year 8s. From there thy will continue on and go into the school competition and the top two from there go through to the Franklin competition.
Heres my speech ....
Just think about it would you ever put a baby to sleep on its stomach?
Cot death, also known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), meaning it is the sudden, unexpected and unexplainable death of a baby. Cot death is the leading killer of children in their first year of life.
James Newman born 22 September 2009 died 31 March 2010. I have discovered how much of an impact cot death can make in peoples everyday lives, as my six month old cousin recently passed away of cot death.
There is no explaination for cot death, but there are many precautional measures to reduce the risk of cot death. Some being put your baby to sleep on its back to sleep face up in its own bed, do not smoke near the baby don’t smoke during pregnancy and do not let others smoke around your baby, don’t let your baby get too hot and dress your baby in as much or as little as you would wear. Put your baby to sleep on a firm mattress, don’t let the baby sleep on soft things, like cushions, pillows, blankets, couches sheepskins or waterbeds.
Take good care of your self and also never bed share. Especially when one of the parents smoke, have been drinking alcohol or are tired. The safest place for your baby to sleep is in its own cot beside the parents bed.
It causes the death of as much as 45 New Zealand children every year under the age of two, but is still a major improvement since 1990 when two hundred and fifty babies died of cot death each year.
Research has shown that the risk of cot death has been at least halved in many countries by changing some child care practices, for example it is now known that tummy sleeping is a risk factor but back when my mum and dad were children most people would put their child to sleep on their tummy because it was not known to be a risk.
The babies that are at risk are multiple birth infants, low birth weight and mother having the a baby at an early age.
Of those who die about 60 percent are boys and 40 percent are girls. It can happen any time and anywhere and they occur quickly and unexpectedly to apparently healthy babies, during times of sleep.
Many parents would take any precaution to guarantee against their baby dying of cot death. If the babies are at quite a high risk of cot death than usually the parents either hire, buy or be given a baby monitor. A baby monitor reacts if the child is not breathing or moving in their cot or bed.
The death of an infant through cot death never has sound to it. The baby will never cry or make a noise, cot death is a silent death and does not cause any pain to the baby.
Many more children die of SIDS in a year than all who die of cancer, heart disease, pneumonia and child abuse combined . . .
This shows that cot death is quite common. But go ahead smoke around your baby, bed share and put them to sleep on its stomach and lets see what the outcome is.
Unfortunately, parents remain uncertain what they should do to keep their babies safe. It can not be predicted or prevented, and can, and does, claim any baby, in spite of parents doing everything right.
