What Is Shaken Baby Syndrome?
Shaken baby syndrome is known as: shaken baby syndrome (SBS) and refers to a form of physical abuse characterized by a series of signs, including the presence of a brain injury, such as cerebral edema diffuse, and retinal hemorrhages.
In short, this syndrome occurs as a result of a violent shaking of the child. Even if it is short-lived, the child’s brain can impact the skull and be irreversibly injured.
General aspects of the SBS
It must be taken into account that, during the first months of a human being’s life, the brain occupies most of the head, which is also very small. Therefore, if your body is shaken, the brain mass collides with the skull, which can lead to inflammation and possible internal bleeding.
Symptoms do not usually appear immediately, so it is difficult to notice a sudden change in the child. Hence the importance of maintaining a vigilant attitude when it comes to your behavior in the hours and days to come.
It should be noted that if the baby or child was shaken by someone in our absence, as a punishment, or we have done it ourselves at some point of stress, no sudden change will be noticed. Problems can appear even hours and days after the shock.
Under what conditions can one speak of shaken baby syndrome?
Although we are surprised to know, with a small shake of less than 10 seconds, the child could suffer from this problem. The head may be bruised against something, such as by shaking it, in non-accidental situations.
In newborn or very young babies, a blow to the head (as simple as it may sound) can cause an injury. It is also enough that the blow was with something soft. For example, from being thrown on the mattress or whipped by a pillow.
It occurs most often in children under 2 years of age, but can sometimes reach as long as 5 years. In general, this syndrome occurs when the child is abused because that is when the greatest force is applied.
Although less frequent, it could also happen with lighter shocks such as jogging with him in your arms, lifting him into the air or giving him some jumps.
In fatal cases, the shaken baby can be affected by whiplash or cervical hyperextension, just as in traffic accidents.
What are the symptoms?
When a child is afflicted by this problem, there is a lot of secrecy from parents about their symptoms, because as we already know it is a case of child abuse. Similarly, it is likely that they have not been identified, because no one is expecting this to be the situation.
However, we can speak of a clinical picture where the following changes can be perceived:
- Lethargy.
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Hypersomnia
- Lack of appetite.
- Respiratory crisis
- Diminished vision.
- Bad nutrition.
- Low alert level.
- Pale or bluish skin
- Loss of consciousness
- Alterations in behavior : persistent crying, irritability, etc.
How to deal with a case of shaken baby syndrome?
It is very common for some people to become stressed with the crying of the baby, to the point of having the urge to shake it, so it is possible that we are not aware if our baby’s caregiver has abused him.
However, it is possible that we witness this situation, either as family members or as external filers.
In any case, the main thing is to help the child, if he has stopped breathing, faints or is suffering a seizure, it is necessary to act according to the basic resuscitation tools, although it is preferable to call the experts. Next, it is recommended that the authorities be notified about child abuse.
Before going through this situation, it is preferable to avoid it, be very careful not to shake the child for any reason and be careful that the caregivers are controlled and tolerant people with the little ones.
You do not need to shake your baby to calm your baby . This is a very dangerous practice and it is preferable to use noise to distract him. You can try a device such as a vacuum cleaner or radio, or by singing or talking to him.
Ask for help!
In any case, if you are very tired or stressed, ask someone to help you while you rest and calm down. A baby cries for many reasons, they may have something simple to resolve, so it is important to make sure that they are not in pain or something is bothering them.
The baby’s cry is not going to cause you any harm, but being exposed to a shake can be very dangerous. However, if the child is already suffering from this syndrome, it is very important that the doctors know all the symptoms that we have noticed and any relevant details about the problem, since the main thing is the child’s health.
