Examiner Bio Child abuse prevention, Part 1- Never shake the baby!

Shaking a baby is child abuse

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Babies cry. In fact, they cry and cry and cry.  This is a normal reflex babies have for communicating to their caregivers when they are hungry, tired, sick or need their diapers changed.  Likewise, the normal response from caregivers when babies cry is to nurture, love and help them feel comfortable.  But normal is not always the norm, and sometimes crying babies can cause an adverse reaction from caregivers that can harm them for life.  April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and the time is now to get educated about Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) a silent form of child abuse with horrific consequences.
Last Wednesday, March 31, 2010, a three month-old Houston baby was taken to Texas Children's Hospital and treated for SBS.  The mother admitted to being a little rough with the baby and shaking him because he was crying so much.  The baby died two days later on Friday, April 2.
Last year 1,200-1,400 babies were given treatment after having been shaken.  25%-30% of those babies died, and the rest will have lifelong repercussions.  Sadly, many more children suffer from the effects of SBS, but they go unnoticed and unreported because there are no visible signs of SBS.
Babies have large heads and underdeveloped necks, so the whiplash action from shaking bounces the brain around in the skull.  Blood vessels that connect the brain to the skull are often torn, resulting in brain seizures, blindness and/or paralysis that can last throughout life and even cause death.
Carol V. Weishampel is the adoptive mother of Darrell.  Darrell was shaken as a baby and is now profoundly retarded and blind because of it.  Carol states, "Darrell was born healthy.  Shaking caused a subdural hematoma as his delicate brain slammed against his skull.  His brain's occipital lobe and frontal cortex were bruised and bleeding, his arm was broken and he had broken ribs before he was a few weeks old."   Darrell suffers from grand mal seizures and cannot perform basic duties required to take care of himself.  Now a grown man, Darrell cannot walk or talk.
Carol spends much of her time educating young mothers and caregivers about SBS so that they can be made aware of this form of child abuse.  What usually starts as excessive crying, results in irritation and aggravation from already weary caregivers.  They end up shaking the baby to quiet them because they are at their wit's end.
Hopefully education and assistance will help alleviate this form of child abuse.  March 27, 2010, the SBS Prevention Act was introduced to the U.S. Senate to make the public aware of SBS and educate them on the dangers of shaken baby syndrome.
Make sure to check in for part 2 of this series.  The different forms and causes of excessive crying in infants will be highlighted.