sudi prevention

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.

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."

Te Ra Mokopuna: National Safe Sleep Day Aotearoa is being held on Friday 3rd December 2021 across the motu proudly coordinated by the National SUDI Prevention Coordination Service at Hapai Te Hauora. 

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.