Shaken baby syndrome, also known as intentional head injury or abusive head trauma, can occur as a result of child abuse. In shaken baby syndrome, the child is shaken vigorously or thrown against an object such as a wall or floor, causing brain...
A stressed caregiver, a crying baby and five seconds of lost self control -- that's all it takes to produce irreversible brain damage and neurological problems in a baby. One out of four children diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome dies from the...
Parenting a newborn can be a stressful situation. Crying is the way your baby communicates with you, according to Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Babies cry for everything they need --- from feedings to dirty diapers. Sometimes you can't...
A retinal hemorrhage is a serious eye injury with long-term impacts on vision. Child abuse, accidental trauma and injuries, illnesses and congenital disorders all are causes of retinal hemorrhages in infants. Examination by an ophthalmologist is...
An infant is born with very weak neck muscle and little head control. He relies on parents to support this delicate area until he develops the strength over the course of the year to do this himself. While normal interaction will likely not cause...
If you want to go jogging with your baby, take precautions because jogging is high impact. If you run with baby in a backpack or sling, you risk injuring your baby's neck and spine or causing brain damage from shaken baby syndrome. Carrying your...
Bringing home a baby, as overwhelming and foreign as it can be, surprisingly doesn't come with an instruction manual. Sure, there are countless parenting books, and many people rely on their own parents' methods. But most moms and dads want all of...
Epilepsy.com reports that seizures in newborns are very different from seizures in older babies because a newborn's brain is still developing. Many different problems can cause seizures to begin and can cause symptoms such as jerking motions,...
A head injury can occur externally or an internally. An external injury occurs on the scalp, such as a scrape or open wound. An internal injury involves the blood vessels within the skull or the brain, explains the Kids Health website. Infant head...
Whiplash is the common term used to describe a complex syndrome more appropriately named "acceleration-deceleration injuries," according to the NeuroMuscular Therapy Center. Acceleration-deceleration injuries are the most common result of closed...
Holding and carrying a newborn can be intimidating if you haven't done it before. A newborn can feel floppy, and his neck is fragile. Learning how to handle a newborn while feeding, dressing and bathing him is important. Once you get the hang of...
The early years of life are crucial in a child's development. A child who receives affection and positive feedback from adults, good nutrition and has safe surroundings is less likely to face the challenges of poor health, poverty and...
Acute head injuries involve trauma to the brain or skull. They are commonly due to accidents, falls, sports injuries or violence. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports approximately 1.7 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain...
Vision problems in babies can prove difficult to assess, since babies can't verbalize a loss or change in vision. Some eye conditions that affect babies are visually obvious. Other conditions are known risks of certain medical procedures, such as...
Brain injuries may be mild or severe, fatal or debilitating, and may affect only one area or the entire organ. According to the Brain Injury Association of Utah, the two major types of brain injuries are traumatic, which are caused by physical...
Whiplash injuries normally refer to a neck or a back injury that occurs due to rapid and jerky movements of the neck. Common causes include rear-end motor vehicle collisions, sports injuries and shaken baby syndrome. Any sudden movement forward...
American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus all recommend examination of the eyes of a newborn. Vision testing of newborns is heartily endorsed by...
Shaken baby syndrome is the result of repeated brain trauma from the snapping of the head and neck, a condition that can cause serious brain injury and death. Boxing subjects the head and neck to almost identical trauma, albeit to a head and neck...
Even though a concussion is the least serious of brain injuries, do not take it lightly. It occurs when a blow to the head causes damage to the tissues or blood vessels in the brain. The brain is shaken back and forth within the skull, affecting...
The retina is a light-sensitive nerve layer attached at the back of the eye. When a child's retina is detached he experiences visual impairment. Although a detached retina is a symptom of some forms of child abuse, including shaken baby syndrome,...
In order for us to see in color, light is absorbed by visual pigments in the eye called photoreceptors. Cones, which can be one of three different pigments, are the photoreceptors that are responsible for color vision. Color is perceived when the...
The phrase "pain in the neck" is a figure of speech. However, neck pain is real and can be debilitating. The causes of neck pain vary widely. You can often remedy neck pain by correcting your posture or making simple adjustments in the placement...
An acute brain injury may involve a blow to the head or a penetrating head injury that impairs the brain's function, according to the Brain Injury Association of America, or the BIAA. The severity of acute brain injuries varies from mild to...
The brain and spinal cord are surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF, and are enclosed within bony skull and the spinal canal. CSF is made by specialized cells in the lateral and fourth ventricles, or brain chambers, which communicate with the...
A fractured rib is not always easy to identify, particularly when an infant can’t tell you what’s wrong. If your baby has trauma to the chest, always consult your doctor for prompt diagnosis and treatment. A cracked rib left untreated...
Head trauma is the most common cause of accidental death in infancy, David Graham of the Institute of Neurological Science in Glasgow, Scotland, reports in the July 2001 issue of "Brain." Accidental head trauma occurs frequently in infants. While...
According to the Guttmacher Institute, more than 750,000 teenage girls become pregnant each year. And each year, 750,000 teenage mothers are faced with the prospect of what to do if they have a baby. If your daughter finds herself pregnant and is...
Awaiting the arrival of a newborn can be one of the most exciting times of your life. Once your baby is born, you look forward to watching him grow and develop as he interacts with his surroundings. Your pediatrician will advise your as to how...
Healthy Families America is a subsidiary program of Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America) and works to support, educate and help expectant parents and new families in order to prevent child abuse and neglect. Iowa has a Healthy Family program...
