Shaken Baby Syndrome The name itself suggests that this syndrome occurs when the baby is shaken or shaken. Although this syndrome is rare, the risk of it occurring in the child is high. Shaken baby syndrome is a term used by doctors when a baby or child suffers a stroke when their head is shaken in a violent manner. In fact, when due to some reason the baby’s head is suddenly shaken forcefully, the brain gets injured, this condition is called Shaken impact syndrome, Abusive head trauma or Inflicted head injury. ) is also called.
Shaken baby syndrome can cause permanent brain damage and can even lead to death, however, shaken baby syndrome can be prevented. Let us tell the new parents about this in detail so that the child’s brain does not get injured unknowingly.
What is Shaken Baby Syndrome?
As already mentioned, Shaken Baby Syndrome can cause brain injury if the baby is shaken forcefully. to this Whiplash is also called shaken infant syndrome., Shaken baby syndrome destroys the baby’s brain cells and due to this the brain does not get enough oxygen. This form of child abuse can cause permanent brain damage or death.
How does abusive head trauma occur?
This type of injury can occur by unknowingly rubbing oil on the child’s head or neck or by hitting the child with any hard object. Most cases occur when the parent or caregiver is angry, tired, or upset because the baby won’t stop crying or the baby can’t do something they expected, like toilet training, etc.
Shaken baby syndrome occurs when–
-Force is used to move the child.
-Intentionally force is used to throw or cause a child to fall.
The child’s head or neck hits an object, such as the floor or furniture, or the child’s head or neck is struck with an object.
Forcefully shaking a baby is so harmful because:
- Infants have less neck strength and have larger heads compared to their body size. Due to this, when the head is suddenly moved without the support of the hand, the head moves here and there.
- When the head moves, the baby’s or child’s brain moves back and forth inside the skull. This can damage the blood vessels and nerves in or around the brain, causing bleeding and nerve damage.
- The brain may hit the inside of the skull, causing brain injury and bleeding outside the brain.
- Swelling of the brain creates pressure in the skull. This pressure creates a barrier for blood to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the brain. Due to this the brain is not able to do its work smoothly.
Symptoms of shaken baby syndrome
Some symptoms of shaken baby syndrome are as follows:
- breathing problems
- too much haste
- irritability
- feeling too sleepy
- blue or pale skin
- not eating food
- refuse to breastfeed
- body tremors
- Paralysis
- go into coma
Sometimes the child may appear normal from the front but problems may be seen in his behaviour, disparity may be felt in his behavior according to age. Even spinal cord, skull, rib, leg fractures or bleeding may not be noticed, which may cause problems later.
How is shaken baby syndrome diagnosed?
There are three main conditions doctors can look for for signs of shaken baby syndrome:
- bleeding in the eye (retina)
- bleeding in the brain
- brain swelling
The doctor may recommend tests like CT scan, MRI scan, and skeletal X-ray in addition to blood tests.
How can a child be protected from abusive head trauma? Prevention Tips for Shaken Baby Syndrome
This never happens by throwing the child in the air or by bouncing the child on the knees but it happens when the child is shaken by anger. This syndrome is common in infants and children under two years of age. This syndrome is common in babies because they try to express their discomfort by crying whenever they have any problem.
– If the child is crying due to hunger then keep feeding him milk or giving him food from time to time.
– The child often cries when the diaper gets dirty or there is a diaper rash, so apply diaper rash cream to reduce the discomfort of the rash. This will keep the child calm.
-Often babies start crying restlessly due to gas in the stomach or flatulence due to not burping properly. Use Tummy Relief Roll On to give them relief from stomach aches.
– If the child has a cold, then vapor patches can be used to provide relief from the problem of nasal congestion, etc.
In this way, by keeping in mind the reasons behind the child’s crying, he can be easily silenced. With this, when the child cries, the parents or the person taking care of the child will not get unnecessarily angry at the child. The thing to note is that the only way to protect the child from Shaken Baby Syndrome is to control one’s anger and solve it keeping the child’s problem in mind. Only then the child will be happy and you will also be happy.
