The United States is often assumed to be one of the safest places in the world in which to give birth. But the truth is, national maternal mortality rates have been steadily climbing for decades. In fact, the prevalence of pregnancy-related maternal deaths has more
Longtime donor The Boppy Company has confirmed its 2019 support for First Candle and their mission of reducing the rates of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and other sleep-related infant deaths according to First Candle CEO Alison Jacobson. The national non-profit organization has been leading the
Once again, Natalie Kroft with Keep Collective has generously teamed up with First Candle and created some very special Mother’s Day jewelry. Various pieces are available that can be inscribed with “Always A Mom.” “For many moms in our community whose baby has died from Sudden
This weekend was an exciting time for our team. Over the weekend we conducted a two-day training with three women who will now be First Candle Ambassadors and conduct our Straight Talk for Infant Safe Sleep Trainings. We are proud to introduce you to Jen
First Candle has once again been named an Official Charity Partner of the 2019 TCS New York City Marathon. The race will take place on Sunday, November 3, 2019. For those runners who did not get a bib through the lottery, they can secure one
We’re pleased to announce that Byron Johnson, a public relations and issues advocacy professional, has joined the First Candle Board of Directors. With nearly 20 years of experience creating and implementing awareness and social marketing campaigns, he brings to First Candle a desire to help
The loss of a child is devastating and leaves parents incapable of functioning for many weeks. They need time to grieve and to begin healing. First Candle is proud to support the Parental Bereavement Leave Act, prompted by The Farley-Kluger Initiative—a movement which began in
New Canaan, CT – The following is a statement from First Candle CEO and Executive Director Alison Jacobson regarding NICHD’s decision to release a strategic plan that excludes resources to battle SIDS. “The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s (NICHD)
For those of us who have lost a child the holidays are always a difficult time. Sure, we put on a good act for our other kids and even our family because, to be honest, they couldn’t handle our grief year after year. After several
New and energetic channels of communications between federal and regional groups opened up on November 5 when First Candle hosted a day-long Safe Sleep and Breastfeeding Forum at Stamford Hospital, fostering new relationships to help advance the Safe Sleep Guidelines from the American Academy of
Last week I was at a meeting of my book club – my bookclub is like everyone else’s – we get together so that we talk about everything BUT that book we all didn’t read. Our club is made up of a group of women
We at First Candle are reaching out to let you know of a promising piece of legislation now under review by the U.S. Congress, focused on improving resources devoted to improving better understanding and awareness around unexpected sudden death early in life, including SIDS and
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We ‘re so excited when companies and influencers are willing to help spread the word about infant safe sleep in order to reduce the rate of SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths such as accidental suffocation. Halo, a long-time supporter of First Candle has always been
Five Companies Earn the Designation by Committing to Only Showing Babies in a Safe Sleep Environment September 12, 2018, New Canaan, Conn. -- First Candle, the national non-profit organization committed to ending Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and other sleep-related infant deaths, announced today the launch of
In early August Barb Himes, First Candle’s Director of Education and Training, spoke at the 46th annual conference of the National Black Nurses Association, presenting an overview of our Straight Talk for Infant Sleep program, which follows the Safe Sleep Guidelines developed by the American
We are thrilled to announce that John F. Ciannella, MD has joined the First Candle Board of Directors. Dr. Ciannella is a fellowship-trained and board-certified neonatologist who since 2008 cares for newborn infants, specifically, babies who are born premature or diagnosed with complex medical and rare
Saturday, August 4, 2018 was a beautiful morning for this year’s Bella Rose Strides for Babies 5K held in Cary, NC in memory of Bella Rose Diaz, daughter of Mike and Amy Diaz, who died from SIDS in May 2011. Adults, kids and dogs all
This week is World Breastfeeding Week and at First Candle we are actively working to get the message out about the benefits of breastfeeding. This is something we discuss in our Straight Talk for Infant Safe Sleep programs and were surprised that over 66% of
First Candle Presents Overview of Safe Sleep Program at Black Nurses Conference Last week First Candle’s Director of Education and Training attended the National Black Nurses Association, Black Nurses Conference and presented an overview of Straight Talk for Infant Safe Sleep. This program addresses the obstacles and
In June 2018, Barbara Himes, our Director of Education and Training, attended the 2018 International Conference on Stillbirth, SIDS and Baby Survival in Glasgow, Scotland, where she presented our program, Straight Talk for Infant Safe Sleep, to a gathering of health care professionals, parents and
According to a USA TODAY investigative report released in July 2018, thousands of women every year suffer serious injury or death during childbirth due to ignored safety practices, making it especially important that women take an active interest in their own care. More than 50,000 women
Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report announcing that infant mortality rates have dropped by 15% and the rate of SIDS by 29%. That’s a huge success for those of us working in the field of infant health and survival. While this