We were called by the police to a child of a few months old. The father of the child had allegedly gotten into an argument with the child's mother. He had then shaken the baby in an attempt to silence its crying.
The police had already arrested the father and taken him away. The child seemed unhurt by the assault, however we took the child to the hospital for a check-up.
What strikes me (besides the obvious bastardness of shaking a baby) is that even if he becomes the best father in the world - should his child look at their medical notes the words that will leap out at them will be, 'Patient violently shaken by father'.
Imagine if you were to find something like that in your medical notes. How do you think that would make you feel?
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Shaken Baby
Comments
Re: Shaken Baby
by
DD
at 11:22AM (BST) on Apr 15, 2006 | Permanent Link
Many years ago I worked as a medical social worker at a small rural hospital. One of our nurses had a beautiful little grandson. One day her son lost his temper and shook his son, leaving him permanently deaf and blind. Your post suddenly brought that memory back to me...
Re: Shaken Baby
by
Elliott
at 12:34PM (BST) on Apr 15, 2006 | Permanent Link
Wouldn't surprise me at all to be honest, my mother used to beat the s*** out of me on a regular basis (I haven't spoke to her for best part of thirteen years), my earliest memories of the abuse only start aged about nine, I shudder to think what's in there from before that.
Re: Shaken Baby
by
batsgirl
at 01:26PM (BST) on Apr 15, 2006 | Permanent Link
I really, really doubt that he'll become "the best father in the world". The kid will probably grow up either aware that dad has a violent temper on him, or possibly with dad not around at all, in either case spotting on the medical records that you were violently shaken by him as a small child isn't that massive a shock.
Re: Shaken Baby
by
Vic
at 08:54PM (BST) on Apr 15, 2006 | Permanent Link
It's a very interesting question. Imagine you had grown up adoring your parents and then in your thirties discovering one of them had - when you were very small - shaken you violently in an act of frustration. Would this alter your feelings? Would you confront them? Would you wonder if this had happened often but only discovered once? Would you then live in fear it may happen again? The questions are endless. And there are no answers.
Re: Re: Shaken Baby
by
laputain
at 09:19AM (BST) on Apr 16, 2006 | Permanent Link
agreed. my mum once told me (around the time of the louise woodward case) that when I was quite wee, a baby, both she and I had had a very heavy cold at the same time. She was ill, on her own in the house, I was screaming and couldn't be comforted, and she says she threw me down on to the bed. What she did next I don't know.
Being a first time parent is an incredibly difficult thing and I don't know that it is our place to judge this guy on such a slim scrap of evidence. I'd give him the benefit of the doubt right now. At least they phoned an ambulance. Re: Re: Re: Shaken Baby
by
batsgirl
at 11:48AM (BST) on Apr 16, 2006 | Permanent Link
everyone gets those feelings of frustration.
But there's a big difference between plonking the baby onto the bed and then... (whatever, sitting on the floor crying, going into another room for a minute to calm down, calling a friend and telling them you can't handle things...) and letting it get to the point where you actively shake your baby. It's like when you're having an argument with someone, the difference between pushing them away (not over) and leaving, and punching them. Re: Re: Re: Re: Shaken Baby
by
Soggydude
at 12:02PM (BST) on Apr 25, 2006 | Permanent Link
All very sensible advice - when you are clear minded. Ever just snapped? I have. I'm human. Everyone is allowed one mistake in life. The consequences are yours to live with.
Re: Shaken Baby
by
Rhea
at 05:04PM (BST) on Apr 17, 2006 | Permanent Link
Shock, springs to mind.
That assumes that they have full access to their medical records. I asked for mine a couple of years ago. The meagre wallet of photocopies I received contained nothing like my full notes. Re: Re: Shaken Baby
by
gordonjcp
at 09:23PM (BST) on Apr 17, 2006 | Permanent Link
My doctor was terribly surprised to find there was hardly anything in my medical notes when I registered with them. So far I've been lucky and hardly anything has gone wrong with me.
Re: Shaken Baby
by
Dossy
at 08:27PM (BST) on Apr 17, 2006 | Permanent Link
"Imagine if you were to find something like that in your medical notes. How do you think that would make you feel?"
It would, at least, explain why I'm so messed up in the head. Re: Re: Shaken Baby
by
Vic
at 08:32PM (BST) on Apr 17, 2006 | Permanent Link
You're not messed up in the head. It's when you BELIEVE you're OK and everyone else is messed up, that's when you're messed up!
Had to use capitals. can't get bold or the other atttributes to work. Tom. Tom. Help. Re: Re: Re: Shaken Baby
by
batsgirl
at 09:58AM (BST) on Apr 18, 2006 | Permanent Link
use the pointy brackets above the comma and the full stop, and the slash under the questionmark on a UK keyboard.
I'll use curved brackets here to show you, just replace them with the pointy ones. bold is (b)Your Text Here(/b) italic is (i)Your Text Here(/i) Does this help? Re: Re: Re: Re: Shaken Baby
by
Reynolds
at 04:56PM (BST) on Apr 18, 2006 | Permanent Link
Well it helps me when I can't get to a computer to answer comments.
Cheers Bats. Re: Re: Re: Re: Shaken Baby
by
Madelaine
at 10:27PM (BST) on Apr 19, 2006 | Permanent Link
Thankyou Batsgirl! I have wondered for ages how people do that strike through thing! The other tips were a bonus prize! Now i know.
Re: Shaken Baby
by
WOV
at 10:45PM (BST) on Apr 18, 2006 | Permanent Link
Well, hats off to socialized medicine for having one medical file in one central location for every person, have to say.
There's absolutely no equivalent in the States, and no propsect of one for many years yet. |
Welcome to Random Acts Of Reality, a Blog based in London, England, written by an E.M.T working for the London Ambulance Service. Also, number one search result for "Womble porn". All names have be changed to protect the guilty. This Blog was previously known as "Why I Hate Humanity" but the antipsychotic medication seems to have kicked in.
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