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Another infant dies while co-sleeping
Another infant dies while co-sleeping
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office says a two-month-old girl who died on Friday, November 1st was co-sleeping with her mother and one-year-old sister in their bed.
Investigators were first sent to the home of the child on N. 33rd St. shortly before 11 a.m. on Friday. When first responders got to the home, they performed CPR. According to a report by the medical examiner, "the baby was wrapped in a blanket." The family apparently told a paramedic-based physician the "baby was sleeping with her mother."
The medical examiner's report says "there was no evidence of alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drug use" in the home. But the home "was severely infested with roaches and there was evidence of mice infestation."
"This is a preventable death so we want to do what we have to do to stop it from happening," said nurse Julia Means.
Some say that getting this message to sink in with the entire community will take more than just an aggressive public awareness campaign.
"People will relate to different messages and different strategies and you can have a broad-based public awareness campaign it's not going to reach or impact everyone it's why we have to have more personal strategies one on one strategies pediatricians and OBGYNs who are talking to their families about health we need to look beyond just public awareness to address this topic," said Nicole Angresano of United Way of Greater Milwaukee.
Means says she'd also like to see an awareness push in the schools as well as for babysitters and young moms.
"No mother brings their child home with the expectancy of this child may die if I sleep with them. But we have to somehow someway get that message across," said Means.
This latest case has been referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office.