You've probably seen photos on the Internet more than once of a dad happily throwing his child up and then catching him. Such joyful entertainment for both parents and the baby, informs Ukr.Media.
It seems that there is nothing dangerous about this. Many parents do it over a soft bed and believe that nothing will happen to the child.
Once a four-month-old baby died after such fun. Dad threw the baby several times, and everyone had fun. Then the baby was put in a crib. After a few minutes, he lost consciousness. The parents immediately called an ambulance, but they could not save the baby. The preliminary cause of death was a spinal hemorrhage. This really happens to children when they are shaken or thrown.
You can't throw and shake children.
Parents often do these things out of ignorance. Some people throw their children up to cheer them up. Some people shake their crying children out of exhaustion. All of these actions can lead to shaken baby syndrome, and in the worst case, death.
Shaken infant syndrome is caused by a brain injury that occurs when a child is shaken or thrown quickly. This causes the child's brain to jolt within the skull, which can cause damage to nerve cells and blood vessels. This condition is often associated with impaired blood flow to the brain and can lead to a variety of symptoms, including drowsiness, irritability, vomiting, sleep disturbances, and feeding problems.
This condition can have serious consequences for a child's development and health. Therefore, it is very important to avoid sudden movements, shaking, or throwing infants and young children. If your child develops symptoms that indicate possible shaken baby syndrome, you should consult a doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
Why is this happening?
Babies have not yet developed a strong neck frame. Their heads are large and heavy. Their blood vessels are also fragile. All of these characteristics can lead to bleeding when shaken or thrown.
Parents can cause a traumatic brain injury to their child while playing, which in the future can lead to epilepsy, hearing and vision loss, motor disorders, and learning problems.
It only takes one shake of a child to get this deplorable result.
Symptoms of this type of childhood concussion often appear immediately. The child becomes drowsy or restless, and may begin vomiting.
If parents notice any strange symptoms, they should see a doctor immediately. The child may be prescribed a CT scan or MRI of the brain. In such cases, the child is examined by an ophthalmologist to confirm or deny retinal hemorrhage.
Baby treatment
Is it possible to prevent the negative consequences of childhood concussion syndrome? It all depends on the severity of the injury. A neurologist is involved in the treatment, sometimes the help of a neurosurgeon is urgently needed. Often, parents do not notice any obvious manifestations of the syndrome, so they lose time. Severe manifestations (convulsions, vomiting, loss of consciousness) indicate a long path to rehabilitation.
There are no statistics in our country on the number of children who die or are injured as a result of such concussions. According to US data, about 1,500 such cases are registered per year.
To lull or not to lull
Parents may wonder if it is okay to rock a child to sleep. Rocking should be smooth and calm, then there will be no harm from it. However, nervous rocking with shaking can lead to a concussion.
If you feel that you can no longer stand your baby's crying, it is better to put him in his crib for a couple of minutes and during this time wash his face or drink water to regain consciousness.
Purple Cry
Most often, parents lose their nerves during the so-called purple cry. The child screams non-stop, rolls over and turns purple. Parents, in a state of nervousness and anxiety, begin to shake the baby to calm him down. Usually, parents are frightened by the child's purple face, it seems that something terrible is happening. In fact, such crying is not dangerous for babies (if we are talking about a healthy baby). You just need to wait it out.
How can you help your baby? Some people will benefit from a gentle rocking motion, while others will benefit from a lullaby or a warm bath. Parents should try different options to find what their child likes.
