Why You Should Walk Away When Your Child Is Inconsolably Crying

It all started with the baby's natural phenomenon of having periods of inconsolable crying. You did everything you can; and you employed all the ways you know to quiet the child. However, the little one was still crying, and this time louder for every person to hear. Exasperated, angry and losing control, you started shaking the baby, desperate to silence him. And you are right, he did stop crying. But after a few minutes, he became unconscious, and started to have seizures. What must have brought on the sudden change in your child's condition?

Not many parents and caregivers know that as little as 5 seconds of violently shaking the baby can result in a severe form of irreversible head injury. This is known as the Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS), Whiplash-shaken infant, Shaken impact syndrome or Abusive head trauma. First identified as a syndrome in 1974, Shaken baby syndrome may be lethal. It is a form of inflicted head trauma. Contrary to other types of head trauma, SBS results from injuries caused by someone vigorously shaking the child.

The anatomy of infants puts them at high risk for this sort of injury. The infant's neck muscles and ligaments are still weak and not well-developed enough to support his big and heavy head. Thus, whether it may be unintended or intentional, once somebody forcefully shakes the child, the child's head rotates about the neck uncontrollably. The soft brain of the child bounces back and forth inside the skull, rupturing blood vessels and nerves all through the brain. This can lead to bruising and bleeding of the brain as well as tearing of brain tissue. After the shaking, the brain could swell, furthermore increasing pressure inside the skull.

In very severe circumstances, infants get unconscious, in seizure or in shock. In less severe situations, a infant who has been shaken may experience vomiting, poor sucking/reduced appetite, altered consciousness, bulging or spongy forehead, irritability, trouble breathing, unequal pupil size, blood pooling in the eyes and rigidity. Factors influencing the intensity of the baby's injury include the duration, frequency, and impact of the shaking.

Shaken Baby Syndrome statistics revealed that 50% of offenders are natural parents, 17% are the mother's boyfriend, 17% are non-relatives, and 6% are step parents. Though shocking but true, most perpetrators are the mothers and fathers themselves. Hence, no wonder quite a few scenarios of SBS are misdiagnosed for other medical causes because parents and caregivers, out of fear don't often provide the history that the infant had been shaken. .

In the United States, about 1,200 cases of SBS occur every single year. Out of 4 babies with SBS, 1 dies. Young children who survive may have cerebral palsy, extreme mental retardation, hearing loss, blindness, developmental delays, and seizures. As these surviving victims of SBS get older, they may require special educational services and continued rehabilitation and therapy.

Shaken baby Syndrome is 100% preventable. Often the offender did not intend to harm the child. Though it may be unintentional for a guardian to shake the baby out of anger and frustration, it remains a form of child abuse with devastating effects.

An effective way to prevent this incident from taking place is NOT TO TOUCH YOUR BABY WHEN YOU ARE ANGRY OR UPSET. Violent shaking is Certainly not an appropriate way to express frustration. It is better for you to walk away and calm yourself first, after that get back to the little one and quiet him. In this way, your escalating anger is put off and your patience is stretched out. After all, no parent wishes to hurt, or worse- take the life of her very own bundle of joy.


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