A baby transforms the parents life forever.

But sometimes, their early lives are nipped in the bud - apparently for no rhyme or reason.

The excruciating grief, the pain are beyond any words or consolations - probably unmatched by any other unfortunate event in the parents' life.

It is tough to cope with the fact that the baby will no longer be a part of life, natural to ask, "Why ME?" or sometimes, blame oneself for the loss.

IndiWo reaches out to all the mothers and fathers, who have suffered the loss of their baby and are coping with the blow.

While it may not abate the loss, there could be an answer to the "why?" part.

It is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) or Sudden Unexplained Death in Infancy (SUDI).

Symptoms:

Unfortunately, for SIDS there are no definite symptoms.

This is why, there is no warning to the tragedy.

Most of the autopsies in these cases have failed to explain the causes, but medical research has shown some factors that show predisposition to SIDS.

These were found to be the common factors among majority of SIDS cases:

• Premature babies
  
• Low birth weight babies
• Babies exposed to passive smoking
• Babies who are put to sleep on their stomach (prone position)
• Male babies
  
• Babies born to very young mothers
• Babies born to parents in lLower socioeconomic status
• Babies born in households where either parent indulges in smoking, drinking or is under medications for neurological or psychological diseases
• In conditions where it is too hot or too cold
  

Overall incidence of SIDS has gone down in the last few years, thanks to an increased awareness about the effects of passive smoking on the child.

Photographs: Stock Xchnge

Photographs are for representative purpose only.