sudi prevention

Hāpai Te Hauora’s National SUDI Prevention Coordination Service reiterates the need for every new māmā to be given wahakura.

The National SUDI Prevention Coordination Service (NSPCS) is dismayed to once again see a Coroner’s ruling that the death of an infant was preventable had the whānau been given a pēpi-pod or wahakura at birth.

Stuff: Sudden unexplained deaths in Māori infants 8.3 times higher, report finds

A “complete refresh” is needed to address the high number of Māori and Pacific infants dying from sudden unexplained death in infancy (SUDI), according to a new series of reports.

The Ministry of Health released three reports on Tuesday on the findings and recommendations of an analysis of 64 infant deaths between July 2019 and June 2020 that are likely SUDI cases.

SUDI is when a baby dies in a way that is unexpected and initially unexplained, and is the leading cause of preventable death in New Zealand infants.

Make every sleep a safe sleep for precious pēpi this winter

As the days get shorter and the nights get cooler, Whānau Āwhina Plunket and the National SUDI Prevention Coordination Service are reminding whānau to make every sleep a safe sleep for precious pēpi this winter.

Whānau Āwhina Plunket Acting Chief Nurse Karen Magrath says sudden unexpected death of an infant (SUDI) is a leading cause of death for pēpi in Aotearoa New Zealand, but safe sleep practices can prevent many of these sad events.

NZ Herald: New programme supports pregnant women to be smoke-free and save babies' lives

Māori health providers are hoping a new pilot programme will be the key to reducing infant deaths.

Hāpai Te Hauora, Aotearoa's largest Māori public health organisation, working with community health providers, is leading a series of wānanga that connects with hapū māmā and supports them on being smoke-free.

Hāpai describes the wānanga as being "about supporting whānau during their hapūtanga 'season' to educate them about what to expect during their pregnancy and the birth of their pēpi."

Sudden Infant Deaths: Baby dies after neck is caught in sleep tent

A 3-month-old baby with her face buried in a pillow. A 5-week-old lying on his tummy with cannabis in his system. A 4-month-old trapped down the side of a couch with his sibling partially on top of him. A 9-month-old with its neck caught in the band of a sleep tent.

These are just some of the tragic sudden deaths in babies (SUDI) that have come before the Coroner's office this year, most of which have been attributed to an unsafe sleeping environment.