Tragedy Inspires Mother to Educate Others About Safe Sleep
•June 22, 2016•
Angie and Ben Goebel still struggle with the loss of their three-month-old daughter Maggie five years ago.
The couple never imagined tragedy would strike when the child’s baby sitter laid her down for a nap one morning. “We received a frantic call saying she wasn’t breathing and they had called 911,” Mrs. Goebel said. By the time the family reached the hospital emergency department, their baby girl was gone. “Maggie had rolled over into some soft bedding while napping in a “Pack’N Play” and suffocated,” Goebel explained. “It was a horrible accident.”
In the years that have followed this unthinkable tragedy, the Newton mother has made it one of her life missions to educate others on safe infant sleep practices. “I just want to educate everybody so there’s not another family that has to go through what we’ve gone through,” she said.
The Goebel family recently donated more than 100 HALO® Sleep Sacks to be given to parents enrolled in Oh! Baby childbirth classes at Sarah Bush Lincoln. Since 2005, The American Academy of Pediatrics and First Candle/SIDS Alliance suggest the use of a wearable blanket, like the HALO® Sleep Sack, instead of a loose blanket to help keep a baby warm. Loose blankets in the crib can pose a significant risk as they can cover a baby’s face and interfere with breathing.
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