Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) prevention

Hi. I’m carrying my first baby and therefore I’m trying to gather as much info that could help me in the future as I can. I’ve recently read an article saying about SIDS and it terrified me. It is such a tragedy. It really got me frightened regarding my baby so I would like to know more about it. First of all what that really is, and, what is even more important, is there a way parent can prevent it?? Thanks.

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden death of an infant (under one year of age) for no known reason. Cause remains unexplained even after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history. It is surely the worse tragedy parents can face, especially because nobody really knows what causes it. As we don’t know what causes it, there is nothing one can do to prevent it, but, however, there are things that can be done to reduce the risk of SIDS. First, get medical care early in pregnancy followed by regular checkups at the doctor's office or health clinic. Make sure to maintain good nutrition. Do not smoke, use cocaine, heroin or any other drugs. Wait at least one year between the birth of a child and the next pregnancy. After you deliver, be sure to place infant to sleep on it’s back, even though it may sleep more soundly on it’s stomach. Place infant to sleep in a baby bed with a firm mattress. There should be nothing in the bed but the baby - no covering, no pillows, no bumper pads and no toys. Avoid exposing the infant to tobacco smoke. Breast-feed babies whenever possible. Avoid exposing the infant to people with respiratory infections.