It turns out that parents are often overly enthusiastic when trying to lull the baby to sleep. This often becomes a medical problem.
Imagine a toddler who doesn’t even know how to hold his head yet. What happens if you shake it properly – it doesn’t matter, in a fit of irritation, accidentally, or during the game? We will not go into medical details, but it is a fact: as a result of these actions, it is very easy to damage the child’s brain. So serious that he might die.
If you thought that this was complete stupidity, because no one in their right mind would shake a baby with such force that he became uncomfortable, then in vain. A dad who happily throws the baby to the ceiling, a mom who violently shakes a screaming baby, trying to rock him, but already beside herself with irritation and fatigue – they all put the child at risk.
Pediatricians are familiar with the concept of shaking baby syndrome. He’s a shaken baby syndrome or SBS. We will tell you about it too.
Until now, some experts have been reluctant to admit the existence of such a syndrome. Lawyers especially tried in the courtroom when they defended parents whose children suddenly died. However, now the existence of such a disease has been scientifically proven. The facts are set out in Shaking Baby Syndrome: Science or Myth presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference.
“In 2016, we interviewed 628 doctors in leading children’s hospitals,” the academy’s press service quotes the author of the report, Dr. Sandeep Naranga. “88 percent of them said that shaken baby syndrome is a real diagnosis.”
Even if after a good shake-up the baby remains alive, you cannot definitely name his ideal health after such “motion sickness”. The overwhelming majority of the doctors interviewed said that the consequences of SBS are cerebral hemorrhages, severe retinal hemorrhages and even coma.
To avoid tragedy, we observe the rule: do not shake the child abruptly! At least up to two years old, and ideally never. In the car, we transport the baby only wearing a seat belt and in a child seat: exactly the same consequences can occur as a result of a car accident. We take the newborn in our arms, only gently supporting the head.
Remember, even light shaking of an infant causes brain damage that can cause 10 to 20 percent of infants to die and 75 percent of lifelong trauma. Moreover, they can let them know about themselves at any age.