Babies have weak neck muscles and often struggle to support their heavy heads. If a baby is forcefully shaken, his or her fragile brain moves back and forth inside the skull. This causes bruising, swelling and bleeding.
What happens if we shake baby head?
Babies have very weak neck muscles that cannot fully support their proportionately large heads. Severe shaking causes the baby’s head to move violently back and forth, resulting in serious and sometimes fatal brain injury. These forces are exaggerated if the shaking is interrupted by the baby’s head hitting a surface.
When do symptoms of shaken baby syndrome appear?
SBS happens most often in infants up to one year, with infants aged two to four months being most at risk. SBS does not usually happen after age two, but children as old as five or six can be damaged in this way if the shaking is extremely violent.
What are the long term effects of shaken baby syndrome?
What are the long-term problems from shaken baby syndrome? A child may have brain damage that causes one or more serious problems, such as: Seizures. A baby may have uncontrolled muscle movement and be unable to speak, see, or interact normally.
How do I know if baby is OK after hitting head?
excessive bruising and/or swelling. vomiting more than once. unusual sleepiness and/or difficulty staying alert. loss of consciousness or not responding to voice/touch.
Is it OK to bounce baby to sleep?
Playful interaction with an infant, such as bouncing the baby on the lap or tossing the baby up in the air, won’t cause the injuries associated with shaken baby syndrome. Instead, these injuries often happen when someone shakes the baby out of frustration or anger. You should never shake a baby under any circumstances.
What are two signs a baby has been shaken?
Shaken baby syndrome symptoms and signs include: Extreme fussiness or irritability. Difficulty staying awake. Breathing problems.
Can you go to jail for shaken baby syndrome?
Normally a defendant will face a mandatory five year minimum jail sentence for these charges. When the baby dies, the charge is murder or manslaughter and these jail sentences can be much longer. 20 to 40 years for third degree murder. Life imprisonment and even the death penalty for first degree murder.
What is purple crying?
This term describes crying that tends to appear or intensify in the late afternoon and evening hours, and it’s pretty common. While much about the PURPLE cry is unexpected and maddening, you may be able to prepare yourself by understanding the rhythm of when it happens from day to day.
What are 3 immediate consequences of shaking a baby?
When a baby is shaken hard by the shoulders, arms, or legs, it can cause learning disabilities, behavior disorders, vision problems or blindness, hearing and speech issues, seizures, cerebral palsy, serious brain injury, and permanent disability.
What is infant shudder syndrome?
Shuddering attacks (SA) are an uncommon benign disorder of infants and young children, with movements resembling shivering and straining, without impaired consciousness or epileptiform EEG, and showing resolution or improvement by 2 or 3 years of age.
Is baby shuddering normal?
As a new parent, it’s easy to get worried when you see your newborn’s odd shaky movements, from quivering chins to trembling hands and jitters to jerky arm and leg gestures. In most cases, these extra movements are completely normal and harmless, and, in most cases, your baby will outgrow them.