SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE YOUR BABY!
....I don't think so. Over the past several months, I have had the sad opportunity to read in my local newspaper about grown adults attending court for sentencing, as the result of damage or death they caused to a young child by shaking them senseless.
Shaken Baby Syndrome, also referred to as Shaken Impact Syndrome, which I will refer to as SBS for the duration of this article, is a group of symptoms resulting from a young child being shook violently, and is the leading cause of abuse related death in the United States for young children. I got a lot of conflicting information for statistics, so I will leave that unmentioned, as I will not provide information unless I can be 100% sure it is correct, but if you ask me, if it happens to one child, it happens to one too many.
When a child is shaken, more happens internally than an adult realizes. As the brain is thrust back and forth in a violent fashion, a pool of blood forms around the brain, the brain swells, the brain becomes ripped and torn, and there is bleeding inside the eyeball.
In an underdeveloped young infant, the ramifications can be devastating, ranging, from brain damage, cerebral palsy, blindness or eye damage, hearing loss, seizures, paralysis, developmental delays, mental retardation, learning disabilities, memory/attention problems, behavior problems, and coma.
Early detection is vital, because it can not only save a child's life, but lessen the severity of damage. Undetected, the damage can worsen, leaving a child with continuing pressure on their brain, delayed growth, continuing seizures, or eventual death. If you find a child who you suspect has suffered SBS, do not pick up the child or shake them, but get medical help immediately.
The following are a list of various symptoms a shaken child can exhibit, and it takes a doctor to rule them out, because they also mimic many other childhood illnesses:
. Lethargy · Irritability · Vomiting · Decreased appetite · Limp arms and legs · Seizures (which may be indicated by the infant's eyes · rolling upward) · Breathing problems or stopped breathing · Altered consciousness or loss of consciousness · Fractures · Unexplained bruising · Injury or bleeding in the mouth · Poor sucking or swallowing · No smiling or vocalizing · Pale or bluish skin · Rigidity · One pupil larger than the other · Dilated pupils that won't get smaller · Blood spots in or around the eyes
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