Safe and sound
Aoife Rice with her baby Fiadh Rice-O’Neill at the launch of Wexford Hospital’s Baby Box initiative in Wexford Library.
WEXFORD General Hospital has become only the second hospital in Ireland to launch a Baby Box programme aimed at reducing and raising awareness around infant deaths.
Educating parents on how to care for newborn is at the centre of the Baby Box initiative.
The use of Baby Boxes in conjunction with education initiatives has contributed to the reduction of cot deaths in Finland from 65 infant deaths per 1,000 births in 1938 to 2.26 per 1,000 births in 2015. Ireland’s infant mortality rate is currently 3.7 per 1,000 births.
The Baby Boxes, which are made from a durable cardboard and come with a firm mattress, waterproof mattress cover, and fitted cotton sheet, are traditionally used in Finland as a baby’s bed for the first months of life. Replacing the need for a traditional Moses basket or cot, it is thought the small size of the Baby Box prevents babies from rolling onto their tummies, which experts think can contribute to sudden infant death syndrome.
Most importantly, families receiving a Baby Box will have access to the Baby Box University, a comprehensive maternal and childcare education platform, available from pregnancy onwards. Developed with leading medical experts around the world, Baby Box University enables each of its healthcare partners to customise the educational content to suit local need.
The Baby Box programme will see parents who complete e-learning modules provided with a free Baby Box for their infant to sleep in. The online education element is inclusive and accessible; easy to follow and available in multiple languages, reflecting the growing diversity of Irish labour wards. Women can sign up for the Baby Box University e-learning at their ante-natal clinic.
‘Educating parents on how to care for themselves and their baby during the pregnancy and after is at the centre of the Baby Box initiative. We are aiming to encourage every new mother to sign up to the Baby Box University and receive a free Baby Box. This will facilitate us in educating parents on good health in pregnancy, encourage safe sleep practice and to highlight when and where to look for help and advice,’ said Helen McLoughlin, CMM3, Womens
and Childrens Services, Wexford General Hospital.
Jennifer Clary, the CEO from The Baby Box Co., which is supplying the Baby Boxes and Baby Box University memberships for participating parents said, the company was delighted to continue the expansion of the Baby Box University programme in Ireland.