Shaken baby syndrome??

[Fate88]

So I was at my moms with my 6 week old baby. My dad really loves him and he loves to make him Smile, he picked him up and started to rock him really fast from side to side several times and I started to have a panic attack. His neck and head were fully supported but he was rocking him in his arms really fast, he seems fine, eats a ton and is alert like normal but I’m contemplating on never letting my dad hold my baby again. Is shaken baby syndrome likely in this case? I have had horrible anxiety through out my pregnancy and this just made me extremely anxious, I will be looking at symptoms for the next week… I just want to cry.

Why would your dad who really loves you shake your baby? Your baby is fine, you're anxiety is getting the better if you.

Absolutely not. Even small babies sometimes like to be rocked quite fast! Shaking is very different. Your dad was supporting his neck and head correctly. That’s not shaking a baby. Please try not to worry, but you could tell your dad to rock him more slowly.

I think he thought he was just rocking him, but he was doing it really fast. My mom was there and she is super careful with him and she didn’t say anything.

That should tell you something then.

Thank you, this helped a lot, I know he would never do anything to hurt him, he loves him his just not as gentle as i am. I have 3 other siblings so he is obviously an ok dad.

How are you feeling today?

Shaken baby syndrome and the associated brain damage, results from a baby's head and neck being unsupported and rapidly moved backwards and forwards. Think of a whiplash type of movement in a car, but instead it is being inflicted by another person, often in anger and often over a split second/short amount of time. The baby is often held away from the perpetrator, often at arms length which is why the baby's head sadly moves backwards and forwards like a whiplash injury. The manner you describe, where baby's head and neck is well supported and cuddled in close, does not fit the description of shaken baby. It's probably no different to if you put baby in a pram and briskly move the pram backwards and forwards to get them back off to sleep again.

This isn’t what they mean by shaking a baby op.
Are you having help for your anxiety?

Please don't worry... my first born loved being rocked very fast as you describe and it was the only thing to calm him when he got really upset. You might do well to talk to someone about your anxiety. I also recommend doing a paediatric first aid course... that might really help calm your anxiety as it will equip you with practical knowledge of what to do if there was an emergency. But it's worth mentioning to the course leader about your anxieties first.

I am a highly anxious person and experienced a medical scare with my child recently. The course really did help.

So shaken baby syndrome is created when the baby's head and body are propelled in opposite directions at speed. For example during a car accident when whiplash occurs. The head flings forward forcefully whilst the body/shoulders don't.

When babies are shaken without head support, usually held around the waist/abdomen and the baby's head is propelled backwards and forwards at force. This causes trauma around the neck, spinal chord and brain and causes the extreme damage 'shaken babies' suffer.

It does sound like your dad did not do anything to harm your baby and probably your anxiety is making you think irrationally.

Thank you guys I’m feeling a lot better. Baby boy is going well. He smiled today, so I know he is ok

Please do seek RL medical help for the anxiety. I’m glad you feel better but anxiety will always find a different reason to come back.