Helping prevent shaken baby syndrome
March 3, 2009 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Women's Health
It’s sad when we read it or hear about it in the news: another baby dies or is permanently injured because of being shaken.
All of us who are parents know that our children can really push us to the limit sometimes – usually when we’re at our weakest and lowest points in our own lives. But shaken baby syndrome is something that can be prevented – and we, as a society, need to find ways to do that. We need to find ways to reach the parents who may be most likely to do this and to show them there are other ways.
The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome in Ogden, Utah, has developed the Period of PURPLE Crying program, an 11-page booklet and DVD. This program was developed to help parents learn about child behavior and how to cope.
A Canadian study looked at 1,279 mothers in Vancouver, BC who had given birth within the previous two weeks. During routine public health nurse visits, half the group was given material from the Period of PURPLE Crying program, the other half received the standard parent safety tips and guidelines regarding safe sleeping positions.
The results of the study were published in the most recent issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The results showed that "Mothers who received the PURPLE materials scored 5% higher in knowledge about crying compared with mothers who received the control materials. The PURPLE recipients walked away 1.7 times more frequently from inconsolable infant crying. They were 13% more likely to warn about the danger of shaking infants and to share advice about walking away if frustrated."
To read more about the study, either click on the link above for the full study or on this press release link: Educational materials for new mothers may prevent shaken baby syndrome, CMAJ study shows.
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Image: iStock
Tags: pregnancy blog, shaken baby syndrome, preventing shaken baby syndrome
