.
Experts still have not been able to foresee which infants will die from SIDS, but modern research has provided direction in determining which infants may be at an increased risk of dying from SIDS. Researchers do know that a mother's behavior and health during pregnancy and the baby's health before birth appear to influence the incidence of SIDS, but they do not show if SIDS will actually occur. Maternal risk factors include smoking, poor prenatal care, maternal age less than 20, low weight gain and anemia. Other factors are use of drugs, sexually transmitted diseases, and urinary tract infection. These factors sometimes may be subtle and undetected but show that a harmful prenatal environment is associated with SIDS. Although the link between these risk factors has not been clear, good prenatal care will make for a healthier outcome. Newborn risk factors include cyanosis, tachycardia, respiratory distress, irritability, hypothermia, poor feeding, and tachypnea. These risk factors have been found to occur significantly more in SIDS infants than non-SIDS infants. .
Health professionals determine SIDS by performing three main tasks, an autopsy, a death scene investigation, and a clinical review of the victims and family's medical history. An autopsy is important because SIDS is a diagnosis of exclusion, and it cannot be determined without a thorough autopsy and postmortem investigation, that is focused on finding recognizable causes of death in infancy. Autopsy is also important because if SIDS is going to be uncovered scientist will most likely detect the cause through evidence detected by thorough examination. Emergency personnel examine the death scene by asking the parents and caregivers questions and taking items from the scene of death. Finally they do a detailed medical history of the infant and family asking doctors and the family in depth questions. .
For parents" losing a child to SIDS is one of the worst deaths you can face.