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Shaken Baby Syndrome – A Very Serious Matter
Shaken baby syndrome is the description used by medical professionals for a baby who has been shaken to the point that the shaking has caused them brain damage. Any baby who has been shaken violently has some level of shaken baby syndrome and therefore the resulting brain damage. When a baby is shaken the forceful movement causes their brain to bang against their skull bones causing brain damage. A baby can have permanent brain damage having only been shaken for as little as three to five seconds!
How much brain damage the baby has sustained can be determined by doctors based on the signs and symptoms of the baby’s health and behavior. Some of the signs of a shaken baby include: vomiting, tremors, lethargic behavior, irritability, seizures, coma, brain swelling, retinal hemorrhages, bleeding in the brain, and death. Often the baby will also be bruised or have broken bones at the site where they were held onto during the shaking.
Many times there are no clear signs that something is wrong with a shaken baby however one in five babies who have shaken baby syndrome die within a few days of the shaking incident. Babies who survive being violently shaken often grow up to have disabilities which can range from learning disabilities to permanent comas.
The biggest instance of shaken baby syndrome happens in the new parent community. The baby cries and cries endlessly for what seems like no reason and a over-tired, physically exhausted, stressed-out parent or caregiver mentally snaps and shakes the baby. Most babies who suffer from shaken baby syndrome are under ten months of age. This is because they are often more irritable at this age and can cry for hours without any reason. Also the baby’s skull and brain development stage leaves them vulnerable to damage to their brains.
A baby simply falling off their changing table or being bounced on their parent’s knee cannot have shaken baby syndrome. To have verifiable brain damage the baby must be shaken forcefully. Even if you were to drop your baby from your arms onto a concrete surface, while they may sustain a skull fracture and you would feel horrible, they would have much different injuries than a baby who was shaken.
To diagnose shaken baby syndrome physicians now use cat scans and MRI’s to look at the baby’s brain and other injured areas. These scans can help doctors to see both the degree of damage and also help to date the injury.
It is unknown how many babies suffer each year from shaken baby syndrome. The symptoms vary and many babies are not taken for medical treatment unless severely injured. It’s also notable that some babies are shaken by caregivers, returned to their parents, and the parents may know something is up with their baby but not be sure what. The symptoms go away and the parents assume the baby probably had an illness or was just having a bad day.
The most important thing to know about shaken baby syndrome is that it is 100% preventable! Shaking generally happens by a frustrated caregiver and a crying baby. Parents need to outline a plan for when their babies cry for a long time, without apparent reason, to help insure they do not “snap” and shake their baby. Parents have a responsibility to tell everyone who cares for their baby about shaken baby syndrome and let them know that it is always okay to let a baby cry if they are not cold, hot, hungry or wet. All who care for your baby should also know that if they cannot handle the baby crying it is okay that they call someone else to help them through the difficult time. That’s a phone call that could easily save a baby’s life!
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