Normal babies are dying needlessly during maternal sleep," says Jason H. Collins, M.D, "and I truly believe that half these babies don't have to die." Dr. Collins is an obstetrician of twenty years and has been researching Sudden Antenatal Death (S.A.D.)Syndrome for a decade.
More than 39,000 babies are stillborn in the United States every year. Research by the Pregnancy Institute indicates that S.A.D. Syndrome, secondary to umbilical cord accidents, of full term infants accounts for more than 4,000 of these deaths. Yet the cause of another 50-60% of the 30,000 stillborn babies is unknown. "This is a devastating event because the babies are normal but died," says Collins. The autopsy findings on S.A.D. babies usually result in a diagnosis of undeterminable, leaving the family with many unanswered questions. "This results in unrelenting guilt and anxiety," says Joanne Cacciatore, Director of a group dedicated to providing counseling and support to the survivors of S.A.D. Syndrome. Research is being done to lessen this devastating occurrence.