[Sudden death of neonates in the delivery room]

Healthy newborn death in the delivery room is uncommon. Unlike for sudden infant death syndrome well described in infants between 2 and 6 months of age, few publications have studied this event. We report two cases of asymptomatic term newborns who died unexpectedly in the delivery room. Noteworthy, these newborns were sleeping in prone position on their mother. The Agence Nationale d'Accreditation et d'Evaluation en Sante (ANAES) published recommendations to promote breast-feeding including uninterrupted early contact between the infant and his mother. However, immediately after birth, the newborn may be particularly vulnerable. The application of this recommendation unwisely could be dangerous for newborns allowed to stay on their mother without any monitoring, or medical supervision. We would like to point out the importance of healthy newborn supervision within the first hours of life that can be done without interfering with the mother-child bonding.