September is "Safe Sleep Month" and officials and health care providers in Lycoming County are doing what they can to prevent infant deaths.
"Baby should be sleeping in a crib with a firm mattress, covered by a tight crib sheet. There should be nothing in the crib with the baby," said nurse Gayle Kiessling of Williamsport Regional Medical Center.
The nurses in what's called The Birthplace are passing this kind of wisdom onto new parents, like the Vogler's so newborns like Emma don't fall victim to unsafe sleep practices.
Kiessling's husband, Chuck, is the Lycoming County's coroner and said there are on average two to three preventable infant deaths every year in the county.
In conjunction with the sleep safe program, cribs are being offered free of charge to parents.
"If they can't financially afford them, call us we'll get them for them," said Chuck Kiessling. With the safe sleep program, county officials are hoping to reduce the number of infants that end up in the county's morgue. "If we can eliminate just one death, it's well worth it, keep plugging away."
"It's the most heart-wrenching thing we deal with as pediatricians. Children are not supposed to die." said Dr. Russell Gombosi of Susquehanna Health. He stresses the need to keep a baby sleeping on his or her back to prevent tragedy. In addition, he said a baby should never sleep in bed with the parents.
"When a parent's groggy, or sleepy rolling over onto the child. You talk about a tough thing to live with if that ever happened," said Dr. Gombosi.
Doctors, nurses, and the coroner hope state lawmakers will enact legislation to require hospitals to provide safe sleeping instructions to new parents and soon.
"Baby should be sleeping in a crib with a firm mattress, covered by a tight crib sheet. There should be nothing in the crib with the baby," said nurse Gayle Kiessling of Williamsport Regional Medical Center.
The nurses in what's called The Birthplace are passing this kind of wisdom onto new parents, like the Vogler's so newborns like Emma don't fall victim to unsafe sleep practices.
Kiessling's husband, Chuck, is the Lycoming County's coroner and said there are on average two to three preventable infant deaths every year in the county.
In conjunction with the sleep safe program, cribs are being offered free of charge to parents.
"If they can't financially afford them, call us we'll get them for them," said Chuck Kiessling. With the safe sleep program, county officials are hoping to reduce the number of infants that end up in the county's morgue. "If we can eliminate just one death, it's well worth it, keep plugging away."
"It's the most heart-wrenching thing we deal with as pediatricians. Children are not supposed to die." said Dr. Russell Gombosi of Susquehanna Health. He stresses the need to keep a baby sleeping on his or her back to prevent tragedy. In addition, he said a baby should never sleep in bed with the parents.
"When a parent's groggy, or sleepy rolling over onto the child. You talk about a tough thing to live with if that ever happened," said Dr. Gombosi.
Doctors, nurses, and the coroner hope state lawmakers will enact legislation to require hospitals to provide safe sleeping instructions to new parents and soon.
