TIPPECANOE COUNTY — A West Lafayette mom and nurse says she's excited about new research that identified a potential biomarker for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Jen Hittle lost her six month old son Brenton to SIDS. She describes him as a loving, easygoing baby who loved and was loved by his older siblings.
While at a babysitter's house, Brenton was taking a nap with a blanket in the crib and while sleeping on his belly. Hittle, a nurse, says that sleeping environment was common. She had been educated on safe sleep practices but had older children who had slept in similar environments and been fine. Brenton was found unresponsive and later died.
"[It was] such a shock to all of us and all of our family and friends when that happened so suddenly," Hittle said. "I knew about it, but I didn't understand why safe sleep was so important. I didn't care until it was too late, so I'm trying to help prevent that for other people to feel that way."
The mom of six is now a safe sleep advocate who works to help others understand how and why SIDS occurs.
"I feel like if I understood why they were telling me to do these things, that it increased their risk of dying of SIDS or accidentally suffocating and how easy that is to do ... I think if I knew that, I would have been more likely to do that," Hittle said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about 3,400 babies in the United States die suddenly and unexpectedly each year. In 2019, there were about 1,250 deaths due to SIDS.
Selina McNulty, clinical operations manager at IU Health Arnett in Lafayette, says SIDS is a "tragic phenomenon" that happens to children who are less than one year old. McNulty says it's exciting that research about SIDS is happening, but there isn't a solution yet.
"The biomarkers that they're talking about ... are exciting, but they're just the very beginning. This isn't a solution that we can put in place tomorrow; it's a concept and a clue for the scientists to start investigating further," she said. "It champions that work that needs to continue to be done."
She's learned about safe sleep practices throughout her medical career. After one of her friends lost a child to SIDS a few years ago, the topic hit home and became personal. She wants to encourage parents to practice safe sleep, even when it can be hard.
MORE: Safe Sleep tips from the CDC
"Your baby's worth it. It's a struggle for a little while, but going through that little bit of a struggle will be worth it to make sure you keep your baby in your arms and watch them grow up," McNulty said.
Hittle says she's excited that researchers are looking into SIDS but also wants to know parents and caregivers can reduce a child's risk by using safe sleep practices.
IU Health in Lafayette has a support group, Open Arms, for moms who have experienced loss. They meet the first Wednesday of every month from 6-8 p.m. at 2600 Greenbush Street. Attendees should enter at the back of the IU Health Greenbush Medical Office Building.
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