Before we left the hospital when our twins were born, we had everything done on our checklist except for one last thing–we had to watch the Shaken Baby Video. I cried. I’m sure it was partly hormones but as I held my little ones in my arms nursing them, it was hard to imagine someone getting so angry with a baby that they inflict that kind of damage.
Shaken Baby Syndrome is basically any brain injury caused by shaking a baby. The results of shaken baby syndrome can be devastating and fatal. A new law in South Carolina is aimed at preventing it.
This new law will require parents and caregivers to watch the shaken baby video just like we did before you check out of the hospital. It’s goal is to educated parents about shaken baby syndrome. But I have to wonder if its enough. I certainly am not against the law. Education is a good thing. However, if there are only a certain amount of dollars to spend on preventing this horrible tragedy, I’d rather see them spent somewhere else.
First of all, most babies aren’t shaken by parents. They are shaken by hired baby sitters, nannies, or other care givers. That’s not to say that parents never shake their babies and cause this kind of damage, but that statistically speaking, babies are far more likely to be injured in this manner by someone else who is caring for them.
Secondly, those who have been found guilty of shaking a baby may have not realized that shaking would cause the type of damage it does. However, they always know that it is wrong to shake a baby. What generally happens is the baby won’t stop crying and the caregiver loses it. Care givers know that you should not lose it with a baby to the point of injuring the baby. We all do.
So the question is, will the video get to the right people at the right time? Will a care giver remember the damage that can be caused by shaking an infant in the heat of the moment? I suspect not and that to effectively work towards preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome, we will need to offer more support to new mothers.