Good news, New Yorkers - the infant mortality rate in NY dropped in 2006, from 6.0 to 5.9 per 1,000 births. In the 1990s, New York’s infant mortality rate was twice what it is today. That state’s rate remains below the national average.

What are NY citizens doing right? What can you do to help prevent infant death in your own family?

While not all causes are known and not all deaths can be prevented, here are some tips to lower the risk of experiencing such a loss:

* Plan your pregnancy. Unplanned pregnancies are more likely to result low birth weight, infant death, and poor development.

* Have a regular doctor or health care provider to help you stay healthy.

* If you smoke or use alcohol or drugs, get help to stop.

* Maintain a healthy weight and eat a healthy diet.

* Keep chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure under control.

* Get help if you are depressed, overly stressed, or abused.

* Take folic acid, which helps prevent serious birth defects.

* Breastfeed your baby. Breastfeeding lowers the risk of acquiring infectious diseases that put a new baby at risk of death. Breastfeeding also lowers the risk of SIDS.

Posted by Sunshine.