Kyra Oliver tells Richmond Family Magazine why it is important to be educated and to educate others.

"New information is being discovered all the time," says Kyra. "And that's part of our goal - not just to educate parents about what we already know about SIDS, but also to learn more about risk factors that can be avoided in the future.

"We were doing everything right," says Sarah Webster, who lost her daughter to SIDS. "Alexandra breastfed right away with no problems. We always put her down on her back and we know the sitter did the same."

"Ultimately it comes down to what is best for the family," Kyra Oliver says. "If you have a child who just will not sleep on his back, then you may have to adjust your plans. You can't go day after day without sleep, so you just do the best you can."


To download the full article:
http://www.hayeshitzemanfoundation.org/docs/richmondfamilylr%20(2).pdf

Ads Perpetuate Unsafe Sleeping

The Back to Sleep campaign officially launched in 1994 to educate caregivers that babies are safest from the risk of SIDS when sleeping on their backs.

Fifteen years later and almost every time you see a picture of a baby sleeping – whether it is in an ad or to show off a professional photographer’s portfolio – the baby is sleeping on his stomach. U.S. News and World Report highlighted this dichotomy in a piece this week, which included other safe-sleeping tips.

The message advertisers send when they show babies sleeping on their stomachs is irresponsible in light of what researchers have learned about SIDS. It’s time companies stop sending mixed messages.

People act on what they see or hear. Fifteen years after Back to Sleep, there obviously is the need for more education. That’s why we started the This Side Up campaign.

Hayes Foundation/This Side Up Campaign Featured in Woman's World

This week's (Aug. 17) Woman's World magazine features the Hayes Foundation and our This Side Up campaign.

Very exciting and a little nerve-racking at the same time. Three years ago, we had an idea for a campaign to raise awareness of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and today, we're highlighted in the "Doing Good" section of Woman's World, which has a circulation of 1.3 million.

Check it out here: http://www.thissideupcampaign.org/documents/womansworldfull.pdf

Virginia Sees Drop in Infant Mortality

Some very exciting news to share!

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine announced today that the state’s infant mortality rate dropped from 7.7 deaths per 1,000 births in 2007 to 6.7 deaths per 1,000 births in 2008 – its lowest rate ever.

Of special note to me was a statistic delivered by Dr. Karen Remley, the Virginia Health Commissioner: there were 22 fewer SIDS or safe-sleeping-related deaths in 2008 than in 2007.

This is terrific news and something that all who have been involved at the state, local and private level should be proud. I’d like to think we have contributed by educating parents, grandparents and all caregivers that babies are safest from the risk of SIDS when sleeping on their backs…or This Side Up.

Our This Side Up campaign was announced in March of 2006 and was implemented in a handful of hospitals later that year. Since then, we’ve grown to nearly 20 Virginia hospitals, and we were especially honored to include our onesies in the New Parent Kits provided to Central Virginia parents through a partnership with Gov. Kaine’s Smart Beginnings initiative, Ukrop’s Super Markets Inc., Ukrop’s Dress Express and Pampers.

I applaud Gov. Kaine and all who have been involved - today is a big step forward. But, I also know that there’s more work to be done.

This Side Up Campaign Is Now In Florida

I am so proud that we are now in Florida! Our goal is to educate everyone-- mom's, dad's grandparents, siblings, anyone who keeps your child, so that NO ONE has to go through the tragedy of losing a child. 

We need to get this campaign across the country. The thing that is so special about this campaign is that the onesie is a way to educate without putting so much fear into our minds. What I mean is that no one wants to talk about SIDS-- they will turn their heads at the thought. It is too much. However, the onesie is adorable and opens the conversation. And if they don't want to talk, they will still get the message because the onesie is loaded with tips that may help. 

Kate Santich, a writer for the Orlando Sentinel,  joined us at the press conference last week. Read her perspective. She shares information about what Florida is doing to help save babies. She also notes the help of Matt Bryant, Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker who also joined us at the press conference. 

The campaign is a joint effort by the Health Council of East Central Floridaand the Hayes Foundation, started in 2002 by Kyra Oliver of Richmond, Va., who lost her son Hayes to SIDS. Their mission, thanks to a $31,000 grant, is to send every baby born at an Orange County hospital home with a onesie that has "This Side Up… while sleeping" printed on the front.

Thank you, Florida! 

Smoking and SIDS; Virginia Launches Campaign to Battle Smoking While Pregnant

It seems Virginia is about to launch a campaign to educate others about the risk factors of smoking while pregnant. It can cause premature births, low birth weight-- I think it is all on the the side of the cigarette package. 

Click here to learn what's about to happen. Renee McCoy Wiggins said she stopped smoking as soon as she learned she was pregnant four months ago.

Here is some information from the article:

The city's infant mortality rate, at 12.4 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2007, is higher than the state average of 7.7 deaths for every 1,000 babies born.

Just as troubling for health officials, though, is the fivefold racial disparity. In Richmond, the infant mortality rate for African-American babies is 19 deaths per 1,000 live births compared with about four deaths per 1,000 live births among whites.

In terms of lives lost, 41 Richmond infants died before reaching age 1 in 2007 -- 36 black and five white.

"There are many things that can impact someone having a healthy birth, and we know that smoking is one of those things," said Rose Stith Singleton of the Richmond Healthy Start Initiative, a Richmond Social Services program.

HCECF, Hayes Foundation Form Partnership to Increase Awareness of SIDS in East Central Florida: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Kicker Matt Bryant Lends Support

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Karen van Caulil, Ph.D.                                                                          Contact: Sean Ryan

Health Council of East Central Florida, Inc.                                                                 The Hayes Foundation

407.977.1610 (ext. 222)/kvancaulil@hcecf.org                             804.788.1414/sryan@hodgespart.com                 

 

HCECF, Hayes Foundation Form Partnership

to Increase Awareness of SIDS in East Central Florida

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Kicker Matt Bryant Lends Support to “This Side Up” Campaign

 

ORLANDO, June 12, 2009 – The Health Council of East Central Florida (HCECF), the Orange County Healthy Start Coalition, the Orange County Health Department, the 100 Women Strong Giving Circle and The Hayes Foundation today announce the formation of a partnership aimed at raising awareness of SIDS and safe-sleeping practices in Orange County.  The Hayes Foundation, based out of Virginia, was started by a woman who lost her child to SIDS.

 

HCECF will implement The Hayes Foundation’s This Side Up campaign, an educational effort that reminds anyone who looks after a baby (parents, grandparents, siblings and daycare providers) that babies are at less of a risk of SIDS if placed on their backs at nap or bed time.  Funded by a grant from the 100 Women Strong, HCECF will distribute the campaign’s educational onesies to all babies born in Orange County hospitals.  The onesies read “This Side Up…While Sleeping” on the front and offer additional safe-sleeping tips on the back.   The grant funding will cover the costs of the campaign for several months, but the campaign will also include a “pay it forward approach” to the community to continue the distribution of the onesies.

 

“The onesies are a reminder of a topic that many parents and caregivers are uncomfortable discussing,” said Karen van Caulil, executive director of HCECF. “They are a tangible way to start the conversation about SIDS and safe-sleeping habits for babies. We have seen SIDS deaths occur all too often in our community.  It’s our hope to educate and raise awareness of ways we can reduce our risk.”

 

Added Kyra Oliver, who founded The Hayes Foundation days after her son Hayes died of SIDS at 4½ months: “We are thrilled that the Health Council of East Central Florida is willing to help us spread our message and raise awareness of SIDS.  Our vision is to create a world without SIDS, and this partnership will take us one step closer to that goal.” 

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Matt Bryant and his wife Melissa have also joined the effort to spread the This Side Up campaign. The Bryants, known in the Tampa Bay community for their support of children and those in need through the March of Dimes, Special Olympics and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, among others, lost 3-month-old son Matthew Tryson Bryant to SIDS last September.

 

“SIDS doesn’t discriminate: It can affect any family at any time,” said Matt Bryant, the Bucs’ 2007 nominee for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award for his playing ability and community service. “We are living proof of that and want to remind every parent not to take anything for granted. We hope we can help spread the This Side Up message here in Central Florida, in Tampa Bay and across Florida.”  

 

About 2,500 families in the United States lose a baby to SIDS each year. That’s about half as many deaths related to SIDS as in 1994 when the national Back to Sleep campaign was introduced.  

 

“Although we have seen a decline of SIDS deaths locally in recent years, the rate of sudden unexpected infant deaths in Orange County continues to increase and probably includes babies who were not put to sleep as safely as possible,” Dr. van Caulil said. “We believe this campaign will help educate anyone who looks after a baby of the proper sleeping position and environment.”

 

The Hayes Foundation introduced the This Side Up campaign in 2006 as an extension of Back to Sleep with the goal of putting a tangible reminder in the hands of those who look after babies. The Hayes Foundation has distributed more than 50,000 onesies in more than 20 hospitals in Virginia and Tennessee and through Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s Smart Beginnings Initiative. In April, it partnered with The Raise Foundation to launch the campaign in Orange County, Calif.

“SIDS continues to puzzle the medical community,” Oliver said. “While it’s not possible to prevent SIDS, research has proven there are factors that can reduce the risk of SIDS. That’s what our campaign is about.”

 

Oliver’s son Hayes was sleeping on his stomach while at daycare when she got a phone call that he wasn’t breathing. Just as she was getting to know her son, he was gone. In the days following his death, she started The Hayes Foundation in his honor. Since its founding in 2002, the foundation has raised more than $500,000 for SIDS awareness and education.

 

Organizations interested in learning more about the This Side Up onesies project or who are interested in donating to this important cause can contact the Health Council of East Central Florida at 407.977.1610 for more information.

 

* * *

About The Health Council of East Central Florida

The Health Council of East Central Florida is 501c3 non-profit organization, the regional health planning agency for Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Brevard counties.  HCECF engages in community-based planning that improves health and promotes wellness in the region.  HCECF serves as an objective source of healthcare information, fostering community dialogue on contemporary health issues and developing solutions for emerging health needs.   For more information, visit www.hcecf.org

 

About The Hayes Foundation

The Hayes Foundation is a nonprofit organization that was started in 2002 by Kyra Oliver days after her 4½-month-old son Hayes died of SIDS. The foundation, based in Richmond, Va., has raised more than $500,000 for SIDS education and research and has helped raise awareness of SIDS prevention among thousands of families. Its This Side Up campaign launched in March 2006 to educate parents and anyone who cares for a baby that the safest way for babies to sleep is on their backs. For more information, visit www.hayesfoundation.org and www.thissideupcampaign.org. 

 

 

# # #

 

 

 

 

 

Golf Tournament To Raise Money for the Hayes Foundation to Prevent SIDS

I am in Tennessee, my hometown of Livingston, getting ready for the annual golf tournament to be held tomorrow morning. It is truly amazing to see so many of my friends and family come together, working so hard, to create this event. 

This is the 6th annual Hayes Foundation Golf Tourney and I cannot thank all of our volunteers enough for all that they do.  

I hope that everyone has a great game!

Kyra

‘This Side Up’ SIDS-awareness campaign goes to California

We are so proud of our partnership with the Raise Foundation. Special thanks to everyone at Raise, the Hodges Partnership and Richmond Times Dispatch! 

Below is what the RTD printed today. 

By STAFF REPORTS

Published: May 6, 2009

The Hayes Foundation, a Richmond-based nonprofit organization, has formed a partnership with a California group to raise awareness about sudden infant death syndrome and to promote safe sleeping.

The Raise Foundation of California's Orange County will join the Hayes Foundation's "This Side Up" campaign, which includes distribution of infant body suits imprinted with "This Side Up . . . While Sleeping" on the front and additional safe-sleeping tips on the back.

The suits will be distributed to Orange County hospitals, public-health sites and family resource centers, a spokesman for the Hayes Foundation said this week.

The "This Side Up" campaign, started in Virginia in 2006, aims to educate new parents and caregivers that babies are at less of a risk of SIDS if placed on their backs to sleep. The Hayes Foundation has distributed more than 50,000 body suits across Virginia and Tennessee.

Kyra Oliver founded the Hayes Foundation in 2002 after her son, Hayes, died of SIDS at age 4 months. Find out more at HayesFoundation.org.

-- Bill Lohmann

http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/lifestyles/health_med_fit/medical/article/SIDE06_20090505-223203/266010/

Raise Foundation, Hayes Foundation Form Partnership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Russell Brammer                                                                                         Contact: Sean Ryan
The Raise Foundation                                                                             The Hayes Foundation
949.955.1578/russell@theraisefoundation.org                             804.788.1414/sryan@hodgespart.com  

Raise Foundation, Hayes Foundation Form Partnership

to Increase Awareness of SIDS in Orange County

IRVINE, Calif., April 30, 2009 – The Raise Foundation, Orange County’s Child Abuse Prevention Council, and The Hayes Foundation, started after a Virginia woman lost her baby to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), today announce the formation of a partnership aimed at raising awareness of SIDS and safe-sleeping practices in Orange County.

The Raise Foundation will implement The Hayes Foundation’s This Side Up campaign, an educational effort that reminds anyone who looks after a baby (parents, grandparents, siblings and daycare providers) that babies are at less of a risk of SIDS if placed on their backs at nap or bed time. It will distribute the campaign’s educational onesies – which read “This Side Up…While Sleeping” on the front and offer additional safe-sleeping tips on the back – to Orange County’s area hospitals, public health sites and Family Resource Centers. The Raise Foundation also will serve as the This Side Up campaign’s exclusive partner for distribution to other California counties, hospitals or organizations.


“The onesies are a quick and ever-present reminder of a topic that many parents and caregivers are uncomfortable with,” said Russell Brammer, executive director of The Raise Foundation. “They are a way to start the conversation about SIDS and safe-sleeping habits for babies. It’s our hope that our neighboring counties will find this cause as important as we do.”


Added Kyra Oliver, who founded The Hayes Foundation days after her son Hayes died of SIDS at 4½ months: “We are overwhelmed that The Raise Foundation is willing to help us spread our message and raise awareness of SIDS. Our vision is to create a world without SIDS, and this partnership will take us one step closer to that goal.”

In 1998, The Raise Foundation introduced “A Guide for New Parents,” a nearly 500-page book that provides tips and instructions on raising a baby. While the guide is given free to about 600 parents annually in Orange County, the goal is to distribute it to every parent in the county.  

“We see the This Side Up campaign as the perfect complement to what we are doing with the parenting guides,” Brammer said. “Most forms of child abuse and neglect can be prevented through education, and we think the same for SIDS and other infant deaths related to sleeping and sleeping conditions.”  

About 2,500 families in the United States lose a baby to SIDS each year. That’s about half as many deaths related to SIDS as in 1994 when the national Back to Sleep campaign was introduced. The Hayes Foundation introduced the This Side Up campaign in 2006 as an extension of Back to Sleep with the goal of putting a tangible reminder in the hands of those who look after babies. The Hayes Foundation has distributed more than 50,000 onesies in more than 20 hospitals in Virginia and Tennessee and through Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s Smart Beginnings Initiative.

“SIDS continues to puzzle the medical community,” Oliver said. “While it’s not possible to prevent SIDS, research has proven there are factors that can reduce the risk of SIDS. That’s what our campaign is about.”

Oliver’s son Hayes was sleeping on his stomach while at daycare when she got a phone call that he wasn’t breathing. Just as she was getting to know her son, he was gone. In the days following his death, she started The Hayes Foundation in his honor. Since its founding in 2002, the foundation has raised more than $500,000 for SIDS awareness and education.

Hospitals or organizations interested in obtaining This Side Up onesies (English, Spanish or Vietnamese) can call The Raise Foundation at 949.955.1578 or visit www.theraisefoundation.org <http://www.theraisefoundation.org> for more information.

* * *

About The Raise Foundation
The Raise Foundation is Orange County’s Child Abuse Prevention Council as officially designated by the Orange County Board of Supervisors in 1974.  We became incorporated as a private nonprofit 501(c)3 agency in 1987.  Our Mission is to stop the cycle of child abuse through leadership, education, advocacy, community collaboration, comprehensive services and through our role as Orange County’s officially designated Child Abuse Prevention Council.  Our Vision: The elimination of child abuse in Orange County.  
 
We fulfill our Mission by attacking the problem of child abuse through a multidimensional strategy, recognizing that no single approach and no single agency can solve this problem alone.  Our strategy includes providing direct services to at-risk families in order to give parents more tools to cope with the challenges of parenting and the stresses of life.  We collaborate with other agencies and organizations in programs to prevent child abuse to minimize duplication of services and maximize use of limited resources.  We convene the Prevent Child Abuse Network each month. This Network is comprised of agencies, organizations, businesses, and individuals who are committed to eliminating child abuse in Orange County.  We conduct public awareness campaigns like our campaign to increase knowledge of the Safe Surrender Law.  We provide the public with educational forums, such as our annual Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Conference.  Through our Parent Education Program, “Helping Parents Raise Happy Families,” we provide parents with the tools they need to parent their children safely and effectively in times of stress and frustration.  For more information, visit www.theraisefoundation.org <http://www.theraisefoundation.org/> .

About The Hayes Foundation
The Hayes Foundation is a nonprofit organization that was started in 2002 by Kyra Oliver days after her 4½-month-old son Hayes died of SIDS. The foundation, based in Richmond, Va., has raised more than $500,000 for SIDS education and research and has helped raise awareness of SIDS prevention among thousands of families. Its This Side Up campaign launched in March 2006 to educate parents and anyone who cares for a baby that the safest way for babies to sleep is on their backs. For more information, visit www.hayesfoundation.org <http://www.hayesfoundation.org/> and www.thissideupcampaign.org <http://www.thissideupcampaign.org/> .  

 

# # #

Re: Hayes Foundation Press Conference: Orange County Register Mention

Good Afternoon,

Many of you know that we have formed a new partnership to launch the This Side Up campaign  in Orange County, California taking things to a national level. I am heading to LA  to take part in a press conference on Thursday that will announce the launch. Hopefully we will get air time on all of the TV stations in the LA and surrounding area.

We are already getting some coverage!
We’re up and running on a blog on the OC Register.
 
http://healthyliving.freedomblogging.com/2009/04/28/babies-to-model-sids-prevention/5297/
 
Please share this with your friends.

Best,
Kyra Oliver
Founder and Chairman of the Board
Hayes Foundation
www.hayesfoundation.org

It's Maui at Midnight, Baby--SIDS Event for Awareness

As April 18th approaches, the night of our annual fundraiser, I give thanks to the wonderful and amazing people who have put so much time and effort in helping us put on this event. I am overwhelmed with the generosity of time our volunteers have given and are still giving!

Thank you all so much. This night is not just about raising money so that we can continue our This Side Up program to promote SIDS awareness, but it is also about letting people know that SIDS is real. It happened to me. There will be another SIDS parent, Heather Kiegel who lost her daughter to SIDS not long ago, at the event. She also started a foundation in honor of her baby, Gwyneth. SIDS is something we do not want anyone else to experience. This is not about Hayes, this is about all of the babies in our community, in our nation, in our world.

With the utmost respect and appreciation, I thank you all.

Is Risk of SIDS Higher When Infant Sleeps Away From Home?

Hayes died while at his caregiver's home. I don't know if his death is associated with that. He was also on his tummy while taking a nap. I don't know about that either. SIDS is a category for when we don't know why they died. There is no known cause. Teh good news is that research is being conducted.

Investigators in Germany noted have several risk factors for SIDS, one of which is sleeping away from home. You can read the article here. 

"This study in general," the investigators conclude, "supports the current recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics," which call for parents put infants to sleep on their backs as opposed to their stomachs.

Don't Let Your Baby Sleep In Your Bed

The Washington Post published an article yesterday regarding co-sleeping. They shared the many reasons this happens from lower socio-economic families who do not even have cribs to the need for bonding. 

"Strangulation deaths are going up and bed-sharing is going up," said John Kattwinkel of the University of Virginia, who chared and American Academy of Pediatrics panel that recommended against bed-sharing in 2005. "It's certainly logical to draw a conclusion that there is a link. Parents should not bed-share with their babies."

There are many countries who practice co-sleeping with their infants. This article, however, was published in June 2008 sharing information about deaths in Tasmania.

While we would all like to think that we have control while we are sleeping. It isn't the case. Hayes slept in the bed with many on many nights. It was easy for me and made Hayes feel comfortable being next to mom. But it was unsafe. It was a risk. And it did not promote independence for Hayes. I was lucky that he did not die in my bed. If you think it cannot happen to you, think again. I thought the same thing. Learn as much as you can and try to be a good parent by practicing what is best for you and your baby. It could save their life.