"Normal babies are dying needlessly during maternal sleep," says Jason H. Collins, M.D., "and I truly believe that hald these babiees 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 to 60 percent 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 indeterminable, leaving the family with many unanswered questions. "This results in unrelenting guilt and anxiety," says Joanne Cacciatore, Director of M.I.S.S., a group dedicated to survivors of S.A.D. Syndrome.

Dr. Collins has interviewed more than 300 S.A.D. families in his research. The research has indicated a succinct patter resulting in his working theory that SAD Syndrome may be related to fetal maternal sleep and its effects on the baby in utero. S.A.D. can also affect infants during childbirth and in the early postpartum period. Collins points out that his research is likely to reveal many enigmas associated with the early stillbirth and S.A.D. Syndrome. For more information on S.A.D. Syndrome, contact the Pregnancy Institute at (504) 847-0607 or visit M.I.S.S. at www.misschildren.org.

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