Pic Credits: here
Swaddling is an old technique wherein the new-born baby is wrapped in a blanket or soft fabric as per the climate of the region. It is wrapped snuggly around baby’s body resembling the mother’s womb and it soothes new-born and calm the crying or irritated baby and induce them to sleep for long hours without giving discomfort to new mother and the people attending the baby.
For safe and effective swaddling, the baby should be on the back and it
should be wrapped in a befitting (neither loose nor tight) way that the baby
is able to breathe properly and can ease their limbs and thus, it was
advisable for swaddling of newborn under trained medical personnel
because a faulty wrapping can result in SIDS or Sudden infant death
This technique was advisable for just born to two months of baby’s life, but
the people benefited from this technique as they had to be less vigilant for
the baby so they continued the swaddling process for a longer duration
thereby posing threat to the child’s life.
The medical research and studies on swaddling have concluded that it is
fatal and one of the major causes of SIDS or Sudden infant death
syndrome, hence the medical fraternity are against this practice and
strictly discourages swaddling in view of the well-being of child and parents
thereby reducing the risk of Sudden infant death syndrome.
These days even newborn babies are active and curl on sides on their own
and it’s a sure risk if babies are swaddled. There are chances that the fabric
gets entangled with their bodies or cover their faces and they succumb due
to suffocation.
If a swaddled baby lies down on his stomach, the risk of SIDS is enhanced.
Swaddling raises the heat of the body and can lead to medical emergencies
or SIDS can occur due to overheating.
Wrong swaddling can damage his proper development, endanger his health
and can constrict breathing increasing the potential risk of SIDS.
Many companies are coming up with varieties of blankets, fabric or
fastener to swaddle the child to keep baby calm but it’s better to refrain
from using techniques revolving around swaddling and enjoy the bliss of
motherhood and parenthood.
A healthy crying child is better than an inactive sleeping child.
The new-born do keep the parents on toes but there is a magical bliss in
achieving the feat of been blessed by a child and this bundle do bring in
joys and cheers in life.
Avoid swaddling, discover joyous moments in the cries of a baby.
The quote of APJ Kalam holds true, “The only day in your life …Your
mother smiled when you cried.”
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2 replies on “Don’ts for Swaddling – #Healthcare #Manipal Hospitals”
Manipal hospital… ? I was born here and my dad was one of the founding doctors who supported Dr.TMA PAI
Good to know…Sharmila…it's a blog written for Manipal Hsptl campaign. Thanks for stopping by.