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Infants' heads are very large and heavy in comparison to the rest of their bodies. When a baby is shaken, their brain moves back and forth against the sides of their skull. Shaking might result in bleeding in the brain or behind the eyes.
Shaken baby syndrome is most often caused by a parent or other carer being annoyed or furious as a result of a baby crying. It may happen after as little as 5 seconds of shaking. The ensuing injuries may cause brain damage, lifelong disability, and death.
Why Does Shaken Baby Syndrome Occur?
Parents or carers may shake a baby if it has been sobbing for a long period. They may believe that shaking the infant would help them stop crying. Some parents or carers may experience stress for a variety of reasons. They may feel irritated and unable to handle the demands of caring for a baby. Other carers may be unaware that shaking a newborn might be quite hazardous.Crying is a typical behaviour in infants. Your baby may wail uncontrollably at times. Shaking, striking, or tossing an infant is never acceptable.
Who Does Shaken Baby Syndrome Affect?
Shaken baby syndrome may impact anybody. People who are most likely to shake a newborn have a direct or indirect relationship with the infant (parent, babysitter, secondary family members). Shaken baby syndrome may affect families of all ethnicities, economic levels, and family compositions.Shaken baby syndrome often affects newborns under the age of one year. Infants from 2 to 8 months are most at risk. The condition does not usually affect children above the age of two, however, children as old as six have been victims of this kind of maltreatment.
How Would Shaken Baby Syndrome Affect My Baby?
Shaken baby syndrome may cause serious medical problems, such as:- A subdural haematoma is a collection of blood between the surface of your child's brain and the dura (the strong outer membrane that surrounds the brain). This may occur when the veins that connect your child's brain to the dura are stretched beyond far, resulting in ribs and bleeding.
- Subarachnoid haemorrhage is the bleeding between your child's brain and the arachnoid (the web-like membrane that surrounds the brain).
- Direct brain damage occurs when your child's brain hits the inner surfaces of their skull.
- If your baby stops breathing while shaking, they may suffer brain damage due to a lack of oxygen.
- Brain cell damage may occur when wounded nerve cells leak substances into your child's brain, contributing to oxygen deprivation.
- Retinal haemorrhages are bleeding at the back of your child's retina.
- Neck and spinal cord injury: Damage to your child's cervical spinal nerves.
- Fractures may occur in your baby's skull, ribs, collarbone, arms, or legs.
Symptoms & Causes
How Quickly Do Signs Of Shaken Baby Syndrome Appear?
Signs of shaken baby syndrome might occur shortly after the baby is shaken. The indications often peak within four to six hours. Some symptoms develop immediately, whereas shaken baby syndrome signs may present later in life. Some children who were shaken as babies may have attention and behaviour difficulties later in life.What Are The Signs Of Shaken Baby Syndrome?
A shaken baby or newborn may have had brain damage. Unconsciousness, convulsions, and shock are among the worst acute symptoms of shaken baby syndrome. Other shaken baby syndrome symptoms might include:- Not smiling, chattering, or speaking
- Excessive impatience
- Vomiting
- Inadequate appetite or feeding issues
- Breathing difficulty
- Lethargy (severe exhaustion, lack of activity, and/or inability to remain awake)
- Pale or blue-coloured skin
- Bruises on the arms or chest
- A big head or forehead
- A large squishy area on top of their head
- Inability to raise their head
- Pupils became wider (dilated)
- Inability to concentrate or track movement with their eyes
- Tremors
- Coma
Can Shaken-Baby Syndrome Go Unnoticed?
Sometimes there are no visible symptoms of physical assault or injuries. Carers and healthcare experts who are unaware that a baby has been shaken may not quickly detect internal damage. They may link a baby's symptoms to another cause, such as a virus.What Causes The Shaken Baby Syndrome?
Shaken baby syndrome develops when a newborn or baby is forcefully shaken. Hitting the infant on the head, tossing them, or dropping them on purpose may all cause the condition. Shaking or striking a baby might cause their brain to move back and forth within their skull.Children have softer brains and weaker ligaments. Their neck muscles are not completely grown yet. In addition, their heads are enormous and heavy in comparison to the rest of their body. The severe shaking ruptures the child's blood vessels, nerves, and tissues, causing the brain to enlarge, bruise, and bleed.
The most common cause of shaken baby syndrome is an overwhelmed and irritated carer who is unable to deal with a baby's inconsolable sobbing. The carer becomes furious or agitated and loses control. Most of the time, the carer did not plan to injure the infant, yet it is still considered child abuse.
Can Bouncing A Baby Result In Shaken Baby Syndrome?
Shaken baby syndrome is a kind of child maltreatment. It occurs when someone aggressively shakes a newborn or young toddler. It was not caused by:- Bouncing your infant on your knee
- Tossing your baby into the air
- Bicycling with your baby
- Accidental falls from furniture
- Sudden pauses or driving over bumps
These activities are risky and hence not encouraged, but they will not result in the kind of damage found in shaken baby syndrome.
How Is Shaken Baby Syndrome Diagnosed?
Diagnosing shaken baby syndrome might be challenging for various reasons:- Healthcare practitioners may not always know whether or not shaking contributed to an infant's damage.
- Babies and very young children are unable to communicate with healthcare experts about what occurred or how they were wounded.
- Many of the symptoms of shaken baby syndrome (such as irritability, vomiting, or lethargy) are also seen in other illnesses, including viral infections.
What Tests Will Be Used To Detect Shaken Baby Syndrome?
To identify shaken baby syndrome, healthcare personnel may employ certain imaging tests. These tests may detect swelling or bleeding in your baby's brain, as well as fractures of the skull or ribs. These tests may include:- X-rays
- computed tomography (CT) scans
- MRI scans
How Is Shaken Baby Syndrome Treated?
If your infant exhibits any symptoms of shaken baby syndrome, they need emergency medical attention. In milder circumstances, your infant may need medication and hospitalisation.In more serious situations, therapy may include life-saving measures. To give respiratory assistance, your child's healthcare professional may implant a breathing tube down the mouth. A surgeon may need to conduct surgery to halt the bleeding or decrease swelling in your baby's brain.
How May Shaken-Baby Syndrome Be Prevented?
Parents or carers who shake their newborns often report that the shaking happened when their child was wailing uncontrollably. Crying is common for newborns, yet it may be distressing. Understanding the risks of shaking your infant and seeking assistance may help avoid shaken baby syndrome. Here are some things you can take to prevent shaken baby syndrome:- First, ensure that your infant is not suffering from any evident ailments. Check to make sure your baby's nappy is clean and that they are not hungry or chilly. Check for signs of sickness, such as fever or oedema, and ensure that nothing is causing discomfort.
- If your baby's requirements have been addressed, consider employing noise. You may listen to music or sing while talking to your baby. Babies may like sounds such as vacuum cleaners, clothes dryers, hair dryers, and fans.
- Give your infant a toy or pacifier
- Try nursing or giving your infant a bottle
- Swaddle your infant or rock them
- Take your infant on a vehicle journey (properly fastened in their car seat)
- Place your infant in a pram and take a stroll
- Take your infant for a spin on an outdoor swing
- Ask someone else (a friend, coworker, neighbour, or family member) to fill in for you for a while so you can take a break. It is quite appropriate to seek aid.
- If no one else is available to take over for you, carefully place your baby in their cot and leave the room for a few minutes to relax. Remember, crying will not harm infants, but shaking will.
Shaken baby syndrome is a kind of severe physical child abuse in which a parent or carer forcibly shakes an infant or toddler. The syndrome is most often caused by a carer being upset or irritated when a baby refuses to stop crying. shaken baby syndrome is entirely prevented. If your infant is crying nonstop, try some of the prevention techniques listed above or get assistance from a trusted carer.
FAQs on What You Need to Know About Shaken Baby Syndrome?
- How do you confirm shaken baby syndrome?
Doctors may identify the disease using imaging tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT). Treatment must be administered swiftly, and some children may need surgery to halt bleeding in the body or equipment to assist them in breathing. - When should I stop worrying about shaken baby syndrome?
The majority of occurrences of abusive head trauma (also known as shaken baby syndrome) involve newborns and toddlers under the age of two.
