The shaken baby syndrome is a critical brain injury caused by forcefully shaking an infant. It is also known as abusive head trauma or shaken impact syndrome. This trauma or syndrome is usually associated with child abuse. The effect of this syndrome is the destruction of the toddler’s brain cells preventing the child from getting enough oxygen. These effects lead to permanent damage to the child’s brain or death of the child.
The Syndrome
The shaken baby syndrome is caused by rapid and forceful shaking of an infant. It is a preventable injury. A child with the shaken baby syndrome will be fussy, has a difficult time staying awake, difficulty while breathing, poor eating habits, pale skin, seizures, and paralysis. The shaken baby syndrome is very prone to children due to their weak neck muscles and will have a hard time supporting their heads. When the child is shaken with much force, its fragile brain will move inside the skull causing bruises, swellings, and bleeding.
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The child may not necessarily have any physical injury on the body but may have an internal injury. The child may have internal bleeding in the brain or other parts of the body like the eyes and legs. However, most children with this syndrome will show the signs of child abuse. It is not caused by bouncing a child, minor falls or playing.
Prevalence, Prevention, and Treatment
Parents or nannies with unrealistic expectations of the babies, who are stressed, drug abuse problems or facing any kind of trauma in their lives are likely to harm their babies. Most children who have the syndrome will die due to the severe risk factors. However, those that survive will have complications like partial or total blindness, delays in development and learning, intellectual disability, seizures or cerebral palsy.
Parents require education on how to take care of their children especially, the new parents. It is usually normal to get frustrated due to a newborn behavior but shaking or harming the baby cannot be justified. It is important for parents who may have post-partum trauma or depression to seek help. It is also important for parents to have nannies who know the dangers of shaking the baby for them to get help.
Famous Cases of the Syndrome
Some cases that relate to shaken baby syndrome include the case of Louise Woodward, a 19-year old who threw the baby on the bed but the baby died from retinal hemorrhages. Another case was on Kristian Aspelin who caused the death of his infant son. His son allegedly fell from his arms while he was cleaning up a mess on his kitchen floor. In both cases, the wrongdoers faced lawsuits against them.
Conclusion
The shaken baby syndrome is a serious disease. It has an association with child abuse, therefore, can have a great impact on a family’s relationships. It is preventable through taking care of the baby and dealing with one’s emotions when frustrated. This disease is morally inclined and can cause a bad reputation or even facing jail time to the wrongdoer.
