Shaking Baby Syndrome
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April 30, 2005
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Shaken Baby Syndrome
Imagine yourself as a sweet, innocent, precious little baby. You are totally dependent
upon adults to give you what you need and most importantly love. Your only means of communication is crying so you cry when you need to be fed, when you need your diaper changed, when you arent feeling so well, or when you just want some attention. You are crying and someone comes over to you. They pick you up, but instead of holding you and comforting you, talking affectionately to you, they shake you violently and vigorously. You are a baby, imagine the fear and pain that the shaking causes you. This is a form of child abuse and what is even harder to believe is that it actually happens. The correct term is Shaken Baby Syndrome and it is a form of abuse that is happening far and wide.
What exactly is Shaking Baby Syndrome? Shaken Baby Syndrome is a serious brain injury that occurs when adults, frustrated and angry with children, shake then violently, and Shaken Baby Syndrome mostly occurs when a child receives numerous rapid shakes. It can also occur when a baby is slammed against a hard object; head impact is not necessary but does frequently occur. Shaken Baby Syndrome occurs frequently in infants younger than six months old, yet can occur up to the age of 5. (Showers, 1997.) In reality, shaking a baby if only for a few seconds can injure the baby for life.
Often frustrated parents or other persons responsible for a childs care feel that shaking a baby is a harmless way to make a child stop crying. The number one reason why a baby is shaken is because of inconsolable crying. (National Exchange Club Foundation, 1998) An infant may spend two to three hours a day crying. (The Epilepsy Association of Central Florida) A caregiver momentarily gives in to the frustration of responding to a crying baby by shaking. Caregivers may be inadequately prepared for children.
Why is shaking a baby so dangerous? A babys head and neck are especially vulnerable to injury because the head is so large and the neck muscles are still weak. A babys neck is to weak to support their heavy head so when the baby is shaken the heads swings back and forth. In addition, the babys brain and blood vessels are very fragile and easily damaged by whiplash motions. The brain bounces about the skull, causing the blood vessels to tear away and blood to pool inside the skull causing irreparable damage to the brain. (The Epilepsy of Central Florida) The degree of brain damage depends on the amount and duration of the shaking and the force involved in impact of the head.
Shaken Baby Syndrome is difficult to diagnose, unless someone accurately describes what happens. Physicians often report that a child with possible Shaken Baby Syndrome is brought for medical attention due to falls, difficulty breathing, seizures, vomiting, altered consciousness or choking (Palmer). The caregiver may report that the child was shaken to try to resuscitate it. Physician look for retinal hemorrhages, (Retinal hemorrhages is bleeding in the retina of the eye), Subdural hematoma (blood in the brain), increased head size indicating excessive accumulations of fluid in the tissues of the brain (Palmer). Doctors and physicians also look for damage to the spinal cord, and broken ribs. This occurs because of the way the baby was held or grasped to hard. Doctors usually get Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans because they assist in showing injuries in the brain.
Fifty Thousand cases occur each year in the U.S. (Ramirez, 1996). One