In Oklahoma, New commercials help parents deal with crying baby | Shaken Baby Syndrome

Three seconds of shaking is all it takes to end or drastically alter a baby's life.

That's the message behind a new commercial campaign by the Parent Child Center in an effort to expand its Never Shake a Baby program.

"Really, you never want to shake a baby. Three seconds is the catalyst for when a lot of damage is done," said Matthew Eber, spokesman for the Parent Child Center.

One commercial portrays a young girl expressing regret for shaking her little sister to death and the other has a father expressing similar regret over shaking his daughter. Both are set in a surreal, nightmarish backdrop.

"We wanted to show something visual and regret is a common feeling," Eber said. "A lot of times when someone shakes a baby it's during a moment of stress, someone snaps. It's 4 a.m. and the baby hasn't stopped crying. We want to get it in their heads, so when they're stressed and tired they remember that something that simple can kill a baby."

The commercial campaign is in addition to the Never Shake a Baby program the Parent Child Center offers to new families in area hospitals about what to do when babies won't stop crying.

In 2011, the Never Shake a Baby hospital visitation program was presented to 2,228 birth mothers, 1,088 fathers and 706 other people, all representing 2,249 babies.

"We partnered with the Sarkey's Foundation to do a statewide public awareness campaign to put it in the back of everyone's head to never shake a baby," Eber said.

According to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, abusive head trauma, which includes shaken baby syndrome, is the leading cause of non-accidental child death and near death in Oklahoma.

"Every parent I know has experienced moments when they feel completely at a loss as to how to calm their crying baby. When you're exhausted and frustrated, that situation can escalate and you can overreact. It only takes three to five seconds to do irreparable harm by shaking a baby," said Desiree Doherty, PCCT executive director. "With the help of community partners, like the Sarkey's Foundation, we can educate more parents of newborns about the dangers of shaking a baby and how to prevent it. The key is to understand crying as normal infant behavior and calming yourself while trying a variety of safe-for-baby soothing techniques."

For more information and to view the commercials, go online to tulsaworld.com/3seconds

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If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at http://www.keanelaw.com

An ounce of prevention can save lives | Shaken Baby Syndrome

*Excerpt of story published for education and awareness*

Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) or abusive head trauma (AHT) is more common than one might think. Yet it is also a preventable health issue, one that can be addressed through education and awareness.

SBS/AHT occurs most commonly during the first few months of an infant’s life. This is also a time when prolonged, but often inconsolable, bouts of infant crying occur. These “bouts” are normal and an expected developmental phase. However, most parents and caregivers aren’t aware of this.

Coincidentally, this stage of an infant’s life occurs at a time when parents and caregivers are adjusting to bringing home a new baby, and ultimately, experiencing stress and various emotions at a higher level and frequency.

Through education and awareness, parents and caregivers can become informed about infant crying and SBS/AHT and in turn, prevent trauma from occurring. That was the idea Dr. Ron Barr and Marilyn Barr had when they developed the Period of PURPLE Crying, an evidence-based infant-abuse prevention program, first implemented in North Carolina.

This unique program seeks to create an understanding and a culture shift about the normal pattern of intense early infant crying, the frustration that can accompany it and how to cope. Its overarching goal is to save infants’ lives. Its purpose is to prevent SBS/AHT, which can result in severe, irreversible, lifelong brain damage or death.

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If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at http://www.keanelaw.com

In Virginia, Grandfather Kneels, and Says Goodnight Prayers next to Empty Crib | Shaken Baby Syndrome

Every night around 10 o'clock, Steve Stowe heads to a bedroom of his house in Hampton, bends his head and says goodnight prayers to an empty crib.

It's a ritual that would break the hearts or the spirits of many of us, but Steve uses it to keep his 3-year-old grandson close, two years after young Jared Patton lost his battle with the fatal, crippling effects of Shaken Baby Syndrome.

The ritual also helps Steve refuel for his own ongoing battle to educate the people of Virginia about the syndrome, and to save the lives of other babies before they are shaken to death — or to what amounts to a slow death — by a caregiver.

But while Jared lived, his grandparents made it their mission to make every moment as loving and special as possible.

Steve has written about that mission in a new book called "Jared's Journey: The Magical Life of a Shaken Baby." It's self-published through Friesen Press.

I can't speak to the full contents because I can't get beyond the introduction without choking up.

Jared, Steve writes, "endured his expedition to earth to teach my wife, Kathy, myself and many others just how to dance with God. …the magical story of Jared's life here on earth must be shared with anyone who has ever doubted the presence of a God, or the numerous layers of strength that the human body can and will endure."

Along with writing this book, Steve and Kathy have been doing what they can to educate others about Shaken Baby Syndrome. They've lobbied state lawmakers to try to get legislation to help educate new parents across the commonwealth.

They haven't succeeded yet, but haven't given up.

With the help of former Newport News delegate Glenn Oder, a resolution passed the General Assembly last year to study the costs of caring for shaken babies and best prevention practices in other states.

The state's Joint Commission on Health Care used the Stowes as a case study, in part because Kathy kept such meticulous records, from every diaper change to every trip to a pharmacy.

The study found the couple spent nearly $230,000 over three years — money that Steve said they begged, borrowed and stole, and are still paying back.

But the study also found Jared's care cost the state an additional $300,000 a year. It would have cost about three times as much, had Jared been institutionalized, as many shaken babies are.

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If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at http://www.keanelaw.com

Seminar Teaches IL Residents How to Educate the Public on Shaken Baby Syndrome Dangers | Abusive Head Trauma Lawyer

Volunteers and professionals in East Peoria, IL, had the opportunity to attend a free seminar last Friday on how to educate the public about the dangers of shaken baby syndrome, according to the Pjstar.com website.  As part of the state's Shaken Baby Syndrome Public Awareness Campaign, the workshop was conducted by Mary Salisbury of Prevent Child Abuse Illinois (PCAI) and included sample materials on shaken baby syndrome prevention for attendees to use for their own community presentations.

Founded in 1990, PCAI uses parent support and education programs, public awareness efforts, and professional assistance in an attempt to reduce cases of child abuse and neglect throughout the state.

Prevention and education programs are rising up across the nation in response to the numerous cases of shaken baby syndrome and child neglect or abuse.  To read more about shaken baby syndrome (abusive head trauma) prevention programs and new studies to determine their effectiveness, click here.

As an advocate for children who have been suffered from abusive head trauma or other child injuries, California lawyer Chris Keane devotes his entire practice to representing injured children and supports many local and national organizations devoted to child abuse prevention.

To contact Chris Keane regarding your child or a child you know, fill out our online contact form or call the Keane Law Firm at 1-888-522-KIDS.