Newborn Baby Care, Guard
Against Brain Damage,
Support Baby's Head
I want to stress how
important it is to support
any baby's head when lifting
and carrying them because it
isn't well known how much
damage can be unwittingly
inflicted on tiny and
helpless infants.
I believe every mother of
a newborn is given this
advice as soon as she first
moves to lift her baby.
"Support his/her head". All
mothers realise that for the
baby's sake, they must do
this, but the danger is that
not everyone in families
heeds this advice and it
isn't just uncomfortable for
the unsupported baby - It's
very dangerous.
No-one would deliberately
risk a baby's health but
many folk don't know it
isn't just about the baby's
comfort, it's about possible
- and highly likely - brain
damage, which can be slight
or devastating.
The danger area, or
weakness, in a baby is the
point where the brain meets
the spinal cord. A rocking
motion with the head
unsupported can cause some
damage to the part of the
spinal cord that controls
breathing.
So a child born
completely healthy can be
injured in this way without
anyone realising. The result
is brain damage to some
degree and a harder life for
the child from thereon.
Obviously colicky babies
are at extra risk because
they need a lot more lifting
and carrying, usually by a
parent who is exhausted and
exasperated by the hours of
crying.
Researchers who examined
the brains of children who
were thought to have been
killed by violent shaking
discovered that even mild
shaking can cause damage to
the nerve fibres that
control breathing. The lack
of oxygen makes the brain
swell and can easily cause
some degree of brain damage
or even death.
When we speak of brain
damaged folk I guess most of
us think of brain damage to
an extreme degree but it
doesn't always mean a
wheelchair and 24 hour care.
Indeed it can be slight
enough to just affect a
child's intelligence,
reaction speed,
co-ordination or indeed
anything the brain is
wonderfully designed to
control, but even this kind
of damage is bound to make a
big difference to the
quality of life the child
would then lead.
Rough play with a baby
before it can even crawl is
extremely dangerous and
everyone who is likely to be
involved in the care of a
new baby needs to be made
aware of this. Also they
must be advised to take care
to always support the
newborn's head when walking
with baby in their arms, and
the reason explained
clearly.
I find it very worrying
because on several occasions
during my own life I've seen
people lift a baby without
supporting the head and have
quickly said "Support its
head" and I think of the
thousands of babies who had
no-one there to help them
out with that extremely
important advice.
In an effort to keep
helpless babies safe we need
to have warnings and advice
about supporting a baby's
head printed on packs of
diapers and baby formula,
just as warnings about the
dangers to health are
printed on packs of
cigarettes and tobacco.
Adults make their own
choices about risk-taking
with their health or are
addicted and therefore
disregard the warnings, but
babies are completely
dependent on their carers,
so in my opinion it's very
important that all carers,
including older siblings,
have the dangers of a baby's
head not being supported
explained clearly to them.
It is much easier to
remember and comply with a
rule if we know the reason
for that rule.
