The Incubator
A weekly discussion about new evidence in neonatal care and the fascinating individuals who make this progress possible. Hosted by Dr. Ben Courchia and Dr. Daphna Yasova Barbeau.
The Incubator
#440 - 🔵 [PAS 2026] - Why Are We Still Losing 3,700 Babies a Year to Sudden Infant Death?
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Christie Lawrence, clinical nurse specialist at Rush University Medical Center, joins Ben to discuss sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) — the updated term that encompasses all sleep-related infant deaths, including what was formerly called SIDS. In Cook County alone, an infant dies every week from SUID, with Black infants dying at 14 times the rate of white infants — a disparity far exceeding the already alarming national figure of three times. She explains why shifting the language from the mysterious "SIDS" to the more concrete word "suffocation" is not about being harsh but about giving families something they can actually understand and act on — and why meeting families where they are, involving the whole family unit, and addressing real barriers to safe sleep is the only way to move the needle on a problem that has been hiding in plain sight.
As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.
Enjoy!