Text Alerts About Babies' Sleep Can Help Combat Infant Deaths, Research Says

Text alerts for new mothers might lower infant mortality. A series of educational videos sent via text might help encourage new mothers to ensure their infants are sleeping properly.

The research, done jointly by the University of Virginia School of Medicine and Nursing, Yale University School of Medicine and Boston University School of Medicine found that sleep advice for infants given at the hospital was not followed despite the best of intentions. Regular alerts paired with the convenience of receiving them on one’s phone might create better adherence to the recommended sleep practices.

Read: How Many Kids Are Dying In US? Infant Mortality Rate Reaches New Low

Many of the infant deaths in the U.S. can be attributed to avoidable causes, which could have been avoided, had the parents followed proper advice. Adherence cannot be achieved just by one-time advice given by doctors, nor can parents be forced to visit a medical professional during the different stages of infancy. But, better and regular medical advice, which can be delivered and received easily, might change the prevailing situation.

The researchers have created a mobile health program, which will provide mothers with useful information at the periods when compliance with recommended practices generally dips. Mothers who signed up for the program followed practices more regularly such as:

• Placing babies on their backs rather than their stomachs.
• Keeping them in the room with the mother but not in the same bed.
• Avoiding soft bedding that could strangle or suffocate them.
• Using pacifiers.

16 U.S. hospitals participated in the study and 1,200 women completed the surveys given out by the researchers, which increases the rates of these practices.

During certain periods during infancy, parents have the toughest time following doctor’s recommendations. The mobile health program could help during such periods. It can also help clear parents’ doubts and ease their worries.

For instance, many parents worry about their baby choking when they're on the back. The mobile health alerts can send them a video showing them that this is not true.

“A lot of parents can be overwhelmed when caring for a new baby, partly because they are not sure what to do or get different advice from different people. We think that the videos and support that we provided in the texts and emails helped to give parents the information that they needed when they needed it and also addressed common concerns many parents have," according to Rachael Moon from the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

Read: Is Sleeping Next To Your Child Illegal? Florida Mother Charged After Both Her Infants Died While Sleeping Next To Her

These simple alerts might help combat the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Around 3,500 infants died during their sleep due to causes such as SIDS.

Mobile health programs might be a better alternative to recommendations delivered by nurses. More importantly, such programs might actually improve the chances of survival of high-risk infants by delivering proper advice to mothers. The program might also be customized according to the needs of prematurely born babies.