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Crying Babies- and Ways to Calm them DownThe Dangers to avoid- and the affects of Shaken Baby Syndrome- SBS
A crying baby can test the patience, and skills of any parent- new or otherwise. I hope to explain different ways to help to calm your baby, as well as explain the details surrounding shaken baby syndrome, and the serious condition that it is. Firstly, when your baby has been crying for a while, check the following points: • Is your baby unwell or hungry? Does he have a clean nappy? Is he not too hot or cold?
• Leave the bay for a minute or two, and see if he calms down?
• Try rocking the baby. Does this help? Does he want a little comfort? Or breast milk?
• If you are not coping at this point, it might be well worth calling a family member for some support, or your community nurse.
• If you really feel there is a serious problem, take your baby to your general practitioner or an emergency ward.
Generally, when you see your baby crying more than usual, and he is ‘behaving’ differently, there may well be a problem. Babies do not just cry because they are bored. However, I want to stress very strongly at this point, what ever you do, no matter how difficult the crying may be, please do Not shake the baby. Shaking your baby can be fatal for your baby. It is also illegal, and represents child abuse. I do not mean to sound harsh, but I want to emphasize the great danger that bay shaking can represent. I’ll detail more below.
Shaken Baby Syndrome SBS
As you well know, babies do cry periodically, and sometimes, it can be a difficult experience for the parents or carer. Shaken baby syndrome generally is about a non accidental head injury. In the case of babies, their brains are encompassed in their skull, which is not yet fully developed. Hence, when a baby is shaken (typically in anger by a carer or parent who is not coping at this stage, the baby’s brain literally shakes in the head cavity. SBS is defined by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes in the United States as a traumatic brain injury caused by violent shaking. The neck muscles in a bay are weak, and they are unable to support a relatively heavy head in the early months of life. When a baby is shaken the brain literally gets bruised, and swells, as bounces around in the skull. This can also cause bleeding. Brain damage often occurs after this type of injury, and some babies die! This is also as a result of the bleeding that occurs in the lining around the brain and the bleeding in the layers at the rear of the eye. I am not going to be gentle about this, as this is an important point. This is the reason I have mentioned some things at the start of this page that you can do to prevent reaching this stage. Again, I can assure you I understand the frustration that a crying baby (after an extended period of time) can cause, and it is better to get help, or leave the baby in their cot for a few minutes while you gather yourself. I always recommend help generally at this point. It is nothing to be ashamed of when you may not be coping. Learning parenting skills can take time, and for some, whilst it is relatively easy, and instinctive, for some others, it is a more involved process.
Please- never shake a baby- even a little bit. That is all it takes to potentially kill, or at least, severely, and irreparably, injure a baby. Should a baby be shaken at all, it is imperative that they are taken to hospital for immediate medical care.
More information is available at ShakenBaby.Org. Alternatively, try this website for Shaken Baby Syndrome Information Controlled Crying
Some parents believe in the controlled crying method, of teaching babies to fall back asleep, after waking in the middle of the night. I realise this is a controversial method, but for those who practice it, the belief is based on the principle that initially, the baby may cry quite a bit before setteling down to sleep, and this gradually becomes a shorter period of time, each time. Naturally, however, there are some provisos. Sometimes, babies simply do need to be comforted, as they may be having a bad night, and others will actually sing themselves to sleep. This is a very personal choice, but remember that all kids will behave slioghtly differently to this. For more information on this topic, see the raising children website here. Information about baby crying.
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