In light of this, Bobby Egemba, a Nigerian medical doctor has taken to his Twitter handle to enlighten parents on the dangers of shaking a crying baby. According to him, crying is normal but shaking is not.
One of the reasons why a child is shaken is because a parent or caregiver becomes so frustrated with a baby’s crying that they lose control and begin to shake them.
They are usually average people, who in the heat of their frustration and anger lose control, and shake their child. Most people charged with shaking their baby in abroad have no previous history of violence, and the act is unintended.
In a series of tweets, the doctor said that some people in their frustration to calm a crying baby go ahead to shake the baby which may have adverse effects such as ”blindness, brain damage” and many others, on the baby.
”NEVER EVER SHAKE A CRYING BABY! Some people in their frustration to calm a crying baby go ahead to shake the baby! This shaking can lead to blindness, brain damage, brain swelling and even KILL THE BABY! Shaking a baby violently is child abuse!
Babies have big heads compared to the rest of their bodies and delicate blood vessels They also have weak neck muscles causing their heads to move uncontrollably Shaking a baby causes the brain to hit the insides of the skull over and over again Basically beating the brain.
Babies who have this syndrome may have trouble breathing, vomiting, seizures, paralysis, poor eating. Depending on the amount of damage, they may have difficulty learning, some even have cerebral palsy. You can save a child’s future by retweeting this thread.
Normal lullaby and bouncing a baby on your lap doesn’t do harm. But shaking a baby violently is a NO!”
To confirm Doctor Egemba’s tweets, an article from Caring For Kidsblog also says that when a baby or young child is shaken violently and sometimes repetitively (over and over), with or without the head hitting something, the effects can be very serious and can include lifelong injury or even death.
According to the site, shaking crying babies is a type of abusive head trauma, which can cause:
Damage to a child’s brain.
Permanent disabilities, like blindness or paralysis.
Death.
Children less than 1 year old are the most at risk because they cry more often, but older children can also be seriously injured if they are shaken violently. No child, at any age, should ever be shaken.
What can parents do to help soothe a crying baby? The following suggestions might also be helpful:
Check to see whether the crying is a signal that your baby needs something specific, like a diaper change, feeding, relief from being too hot or too cold, attention, or has a fever.
Hold your baby. This will not spoil him. However, some babies do not like being passed from person to person.
Wrap or swaddle your baby.
Turn off the lights and keep surroundings quiet. Too much stimulation can trigger crying or make it worse.
Soft music, white noise or a gentle shushing noise can soothe some babies.
Many babies are soothed by motion. Try walking with baby in a sling or in a stroller. Rock or sway with baby in a gentle, rhythmic motion. Or try going for a car ride.
Sucking sometimes helps babies to calm and relax. You can provide this by allowing your baby to breastfeed or by offering a pacifier.
