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One Small Life... One Rash Moment... No Second Chances.....Don't Shake!!(Best viewed with Foxfire)
This page was created to educate and support children and their families who have been effected by SBS.
www.myspace.com/For The Child is the sister site of Stand For The Child.I ran out of room and there's so much more to say.Thank you for helping me STAND FOR THE CHILD!
(click to copy code )Group URL: http://groups.myspace.com/shakenbabysyndromepreventionNY
What is shaken baby syndrome?
Shaken baby syndrome is a term used to describe the constellation of signs and symptoms resulting from violent shaking or shaking and impacting of the head of an infant or small child. The degree of brain damage depends on the amount and duration of the shaking and the forces involved in impact of the head. Signs and symptoms range on a spectrum of neurological alterations from minor (irritability, lethargy, tremors, vomiting) to major (seizures, coma, stupor, death). These neurological changes are due to destruction of brain cells secondary to trauma, lack of oxygen to the brain cells, and swelling of the brain. Extensive retinal hemorrhages in one or both eyes are found in the vast majority of these cases. The classic triad of subdural hematoma, brain swelling and retinal hemorrhages are accompanied in some, but not all, cases by bruising of the part of the body used as a "handle" for shaking. Fractures of the long bones and/or of the ribs may also be seen in some cases. In many cases, however, there is no external evidence of trauma either to the head or the body. (Definition provided by Robert Reece, M.D. Dr. Reece is a clinical professor of Pediatrics at the Tufts University School of Medicine.)
How much force is necessary to cause injuries in shaken baby syndrome? How many times do you have to shake an infant or young child to cause damage?
No firm answer exists as to the exact number of shakes necessary to create the clinical picture nor for how long a person might typically shake a child in abusive circumstances.... Shaking probably lasts a maximum of 20 seconds or less. In most cases the period of shaking is 5 to 10 seconds. To cause brain damage sufficient to allow clinical detection of the syndrome, severe forces must be used. On mechanical/physiologic grounds and by experience with perpetrators who have been convicted or confessed to the shaking, it is clear that to lift an infant and shake requires an adult or an adult-sized person.Approximately 20% of cases are fatal in the first few days after injury and the majority of the survivors are left with handicaps ranging from mild - learning disorders, behavioral changes - to moderate and severe, such as profound mental and developmental retardation, paralysis, blindness, inability to eat or exist in a permanent vegetative state.Common Symptoms of Shaken Baby Syndrome:* Lethargy / decreased muscle tone
* Extreme irritability
* Decreased appetite, poor feeding or vomiting for no apparent reason
* Grab-type bruises on arms or chest are rare
* No smiling or vocalization
* Poor sucking or swallowing
* Rigidity or posturing
* Difficulty breathing
* Seizures
* Head or forehead appears larger than usual or soft-spot on head appears to be bulging
* Inability to lift head
* Inability of eyes to focus or track movement or unequal size of pupils
Can SBS Be Prevented?It is 100% preventable.
A key aspect of prevention of the syndrome is increasing awareness of the potential dangers of shaking. Some hospital-based programs have helped new parents identify and prevent shaking injuries and understand how to respond when infants cry. Finding ways to alleviate the parent or caregiver's stress at the critical moments when a baby is crying can significantly reduce the risk to the child.
One method that may help is author Dr. Harvey Karp's "five S's":
1) Shushing (using "white noise," or rhythmic sounds that mimic the constant whir of noise in the womb, with things like vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, clothes dryers, a running tub, or a white noise CD)
2) Side/stomach positioning (placing the baby on the left side - to help digestion - or on the belly while holding him or her, then putting the sleeping baby in the crib or bassinet on his or her back)
3) Sucking (letting the baby breastfeed or bottle-feed, or giving the baby a pacifier or finger to suck on)
4) Swaddling (wrapping the baby up snugly in a blanket to help him or her feel more secure)
5) Swinging gently (rocking in a chair, using an infant swing, or taking a car ride to help duplicate the constant motion the baby felt in the womb)
Shaken Baby Syndrome Is:A serious brain injury****
Occurs when a baby is violently shaken.****
Occurs when a baby is slammed against a hard object.****
Shaking usually is done out of anger or frustration.****
Shaking must be of such force that an independent observer would recognize the act as dangerous.****
To prevent potential SBS, parents and caregivers of infants need help with responding to their own stress. It's important to talk to anyone caring for your baby about the dangers of shaking and how it can be prevented.
If a baby in your care won't stop crying, you can also try the following:
**Make sure the baby's basic needs are met (for example, he or she isn't hungry and doesn't need to be changed).
** Check for signs of illness, like fever or swollen gums.
** Rock or walk with the baby.
** Sing or talk to the baby.
** Offer the baby a pacifier or a noisy toy.
** Take the baby for a ride in a stroller or strapped into a child safety seat in the car.
** Hold the baby close against your body and breathe calmly and slowly.
** Call a friend or relative for support or to take care of the baby while you take a break.
** If nothing else works, put the baby on his or her back in the crib, close the door, and check on the baby in 10 minutes.
** Call your child's doctor if nothing seems to be helping your infant, in case there is a medical reason for the fussiness.
At a time when the brain is most
easily shaped – infancy and early
childhood – we spend the fewest public
dollars to influence brain development.
However, expenditures on programs
designed to change the brain
dramatically increase for later stages of
development (e.g., mental health,
substance abuse or juvenile justice
interventions).
Investing in high-quality early
childhood programs could avoid the
expensive, often inefficient or
ineffective, interventions required later.
Unfortunately, these expensive
interventions can be reactive,
fragmented, chaotic, disrespectful and,
sadly, sometimes traumatic. Our public
systems may recreate the mess that
many abused and neglected children
find in their families.http://www.fightcrime.org/ny/nyissue_can.php
Fight Crime : Invest In Kids New York
Creating Children Primed for Violence
Severe abuse and neglect, particularly
when it occurs during the earliest months and
years of life, can permanently injure children
in ways that make them much more
susceptible to violence. According to Dr. Bruce
Perry, a neurobiologist and authority on brain
development and children in crisis, “The
systems in the human brain that allow us to
form and maintain emotional relationships
develop during infancy and the first years of
life… With severe emotional neglect in early
childhood the impact can be devastating.â€
Perry explains that severely neglected children
frequently respond with aggression and cruelty
that “is often accompanied by a detached, cold
lack of empathy.†Children who are
physically abused can develop posttraumatic
stress disorders. Even when nothing is
threatening them, their brains become “stuckâ€
in high alert, with very high resting heart rates
and high levels of stress hormones in their
blood. These children are predisposed to
interpret others’ actions as threatening, and
quick to respond impulsively and aggressively
in their own defense.Perry warns that “the
most dangerous children are created by a
malignant combination of experiences.
Developmental neglect and traumatic stress
during childhood create violent, remorseless
children.
Of growing concern is the
role head injuries play in violent
behavior, particularly injuries to
the frontal or temporal lobes of the brain. The
frontal lobes are the seat of the capacities for
planning and self-regulation as well as abstract
thinking and judgment. The temporal lobes
contain the limbic system that regulates
aggression, impulsiveness and the more
primitive emotions such as jealousy and rage.
A baby or toddler’s head is especially
vulnerable to rough shaking or blows to the
head that can cause shearing and microscopic
lesions throughout the brain during this time
of explosive development. These early head
injuries are often cumulative from repeated
incidents of abuse and, except in the most
extreme cases, usually go undetected because
they leave no external marks. The damage
done may not manifest itself until much later
as the brain matures.
When children form secure attachments, their development tends to flourish. Long-term studies show that children who have secure attachments early in life make better social adjustments as they grow up, and do better in school. But when care is inadequate, mechanical, or inconsistent, young children experience tension, and research shows that this stress affects their heart rate, brain waves, and their brains biochemistry. A major finding of recent research is that chronic stress can have an adverse impact on the brain, and can result in developmental delays. This finding is borne out by studies of young children who are subjected to extreme social and emotional deprivation over extended periods
One should also suspect abuse if the parent(s):
**** Show little concern for their child's problems.
***** Do not respond to teachers' inquiries and/or are never present for teachers' visits or for parents' nights.
***** Take an unusual amount of time to seek health care for the child, afraid to take child to see doctor.
***** Do not adequately explain an injury.
***** Continue to complain about irrelevant problems unrelated to an injury.
***** Suggest that the cause of an injury can be attributed to a third party.
***** Are reluctant to share information about the child.
***** Are using alcohol or drugs.
****** Are very strict disciplinarians.
***** Were themselves abused, neglected, or deprived as children.
***** Have taken the child to different doctors, clinics or hospitals for past injuries.
Every year thousand of children suffer some form of Abuse or Neglect.Their voices can not be heard.Their cries go unheard.Through every legal system their tiny voices are ignored.It's time to let them be heard.It's time to hear their cries.Stand up for a Child and be their voice.For every tear a mother cries......
With desperation in her eyes.......
She sits and has to wonder why.......
With broken heart she says goodbye.......STAND UP FOR THE CHILD
For every child who cries at night,
Alone with shame and pain and fright.
For every child who wants so much,
To only feel a gentle touch.For the beaten child, who cries in pain.
Whose tears run silent, like the rain.For the child used to satisfy lust,Who never learns to love or trust.For the child taken from her home,
And made to feel so all alone.For the child whose home is just a shell,
Where life becomes a living hell.For the child who smiles but cannot feel,
Because of scars too deep to heal.For every child who yearns for love
I hope and pray to God above
To hear your cries and heal your pain
And give you back your life again...........N.S.P.C.C
"The Pool Of Tears"~~~
Listen to me ........do you hear my crys?Look at me ........can you see my tears?Hear me ..........can you understand my pain?Hold me ..........feel my fear!
Understanding child abuse brings you one step closer to prevention.When you see child abuse or neglect Report it! Become
involved ! Hundreds of children could be protected if that one person that was chosen to see stepped up and said "stop it"
Reporting suspected abuse and neglect could be the key to unlocking a child's future. Stand For A Child !..
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