Glynis' posts with tag: shakenbaby
 | Sad News | Mar 26, '08 10:34 AM
for everyone |
Little Cameryn passed away last night. Please pray for his family. The father will now be charged with manslaughter of some sort. Since they discovered old fractures, showing this has happened before in his short little life, I believe that puts a great weight on the charges.
The Stolen Child - William Butler Yeats
Where dips the rocky highland
Of Sleuth Wood in the lake,
There lies a leafy island
Where flapping herons wake
The drowsy water-rats;
There we've hid our faery vats,
Full of berries
And of reddest stolen cherries.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand. Where the wave of moonlight glosses
The dim grey sands with light,
Far off by furthest Rosses
We foot it all the night,
Weaving olden dances,
Mingling hands and mingling glances
Till the moon has taken flight;
To and fro we leap
And chase the frothy bubbles,
While the world is full of troubles
And is anxious in its sleep.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's morefully of weeping than you can understand. Where the wandering water gushes
From the hills above Glen-Car,.
In pools among the rushes
That scarce could bathe a star,
We seek for slumbering trout
And whispering in their ears
Give them unquiet dreams;
Leaning softly out
From ferns that drop their tears
Over the young streams.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For to world's morefully of weeping than you can understand.
Away with us he's going,
The solemn-eyed:
He'll hear no more the lowing
Of the calves on the warm hillside
Or the kettle on the hob
Sing peace into his breast,
Or see the brown mice bob
Round and round the oatmeal-chest.
For he comes, the human child,
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
from a world more full of weeping than you can understand.
Unfortunately, the decision is being made to unplug this poor little guy from life support. MRIs were done, some type of brain scan, and bascially the results say that he is brain-dead. Such a brief life.
Right now, I'm actually feeling a bit of empathy for the man who did this, the father. I'm by no means excusing him... it's not like sympathy for the devil - it's a sobering moment of thinking that this young man's life is ruined. He has to forever live with the guilt of what he has done in a fit of frustration and anger. His wife is filing for divorce. While he's out on bail, any eyes that see him will look upon him like a monster. When he's alone, he'll have his own thoughts to torment him, images of his little baby to haunt him.
The story is that the baby was crying, crying, crying. Wouldn't stop crying. He called his mother to get help. She wasn't home. (The baby's mother was out). He wanted help, but could find none. He thought that he tried everything. The frustration was building. All the lack of sleep that impaired his judgment, the stress of new parenthood, the feelings of inadequacy - "Why won't the crying stop? What can I do?" - boiled together and in a moment, one moment, he snapped. Gone was sanity. Gone was any shred of sensibility.
Who knows why he didn't just put the baby down and leave the room? I think he'll be forever asking himself that question. To know that there was this wonderful child with promise, potential, with happy baby smiles to bless the world with, little feet that one day would take their first steps...and to know that he is responsible for snuffing out every hope, crushing all of the potential this precious life held. The guilt and remorse must be heavier than I can possibly imagine.
There are an estimated 1,200 to 1,400 cases of shaken babies in the United States each year. Only one in four of these babies die. The other three need ongoing medical care for the rest of their short lifespans. Almost 80% of the perpetrators are male...in fact, 50% are the natural parents of the child. More than 60% of shaken babies are male children. I believe I've read somewhere that male babies tend to cry more...that would explain it the greater percentage of boys injured.
I think that as part of Childbirth Education classes that a session should be spent on the "beyond childbirth" period. Hospitals should make it a mandatory part of the training. I think if more parents realized that they are not immune to loosing control and posted on their refrigerators or kept in a pocket these tips, a difference in these statistics could be made.
Ways To Soothe A Crying Baby
- Take the baby for a walk outside in a stroller or for a ride in the car seat.
- Hold the baby against your chest and gently massage the baby.
- Rock, walk, or dance with the baby.
- Be patient; take a deep breath and count to ten.
- Call a friend or relative that you can trust to take over for a while, then get away, get some rest, take care of yourself.
- Offer a pacifier.
- Lower any surrounding noise and lights.
- Offer the baby a noisy toy; shake or rattle it.
- Hold the baby and breathe slowly and calmly; the baby may feel your calmness and become quiet.
- Sing or talk to the baby using soothing tones.
- Record a sound, like a vacuum cleaner, or hair dryer.
| | Meet Basic Needs - Feed the baby
- Burp the Baby
- Change the diaper
- Make sure clothing isn't too tight
- Make sure baby isn't too hot, or too cold.
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If All Else Fails… If you suspect the baby is ill, has a fever, swollen gums, etc.
CALL A DOCTOR!.
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