Never Shake a Baby
As a neurosurgeon, I take care of patients who have had head trauma.
Most of the time this is the result of a motor vehicle accident
or a fall. Sometimes it
is a result of a violent act of one against another.
One of the most disturbing types of head injuries, and
unfortunately a fact of life for many children, is a result of child
abuse called “shaken baby syndrome”.
This syndrome is caused by vigorous shaking of an infant or
child and is usually the result of an adult’s inability to manage
their anger or frustration because the baby will not stop crying.
This type of injury does not occur from casually playing with a
child but rather occurs because young children, especially babies, are
still developing and the tissues and organs of their body are very
fragile. They especially
have weak neck muscles and cannot fully support their relatively heavy
heads. Forceful shaking causes the brain to move back and forth
within the skull, resulting in injury that is often permanent and
sometimes even fatal.
These types of brain injuries may lead to delays in normal child
development, seizures, spinal cord injury resulting in paralysis,
blindness, hearing loss, cerebral palsy and/or mental retardation.
Almost 25% of all babies with shaken baby syndrome die.
Forceful shaking of a child may create forces against these
fragile tissues that are multiplied five to ten times over what the
child would experience with a simple trip and fall.
What can be done to prevent this tragedy? Talk to your babysitter, daycare workers, friends and
relatives that sometimes care for your children so that they are also
aware of the dangers of shaking a child.
The number one reason a baby is shaken is because of
inconsolable crying. There
is no question that a baby’s constant crying can be stressful but
for some people this may serve as a dangerous trigger, leading to this
form of violent abuse. Since a baby has not developed language, crying is its only
way of signaling its mother or caregiver that it doesn’t feel well
or that it needs something like a diaper change or feeding.
If a baby continues to cry after you have made sure that these
basic needs are met, stay calm and ask yourself if you are upset or
frustrated. If you
recognize this and feel that you may loose control, place your child
in a crib and walk away to another part of the house until you are
able to calm down or get some help.
Do not lose your temper! Don’t
pick the baby up again until you feel calm.
If all else fails, call your doctor.
If you or someone else shakes a baby, either accidentally or on purpose,
call 911 or take the child to the nearest emergency room immediately.
Don’t let embarrassment, guilt or fear get in the way of your
child’s health or life. If
your child has been shaken, the injury to the brain will only get
worse without treatment and getting medical care right away may save
your child’s life. Shaken
baby syndrome has been referred to as a hidden form of child abuse
because generally there are no outward signs of any injury. Symptoms include changes in behavior, irritability,
sleepiness or loss of consciousness, pale or bluish skin, vomiting and
seizures. Generally the
prognosis with this syndrome is poor but without medical help the
prognosis is even poorer. Unfortunately,
this occurs in the United States 50,000 times per year.
Babies and children are fragile.
Please don’t shake a child.
Ever!
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