Help group to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome

Last week, we read about a case of suspected Shaken Baby Syndrome within the Helena community. When confronted with tragedies like this we ask how, why, and what can we do as a society to prevent this from ever happening again? 

It’s a sad truth that in Montana child abuse and neglect cases are up 60 percent in recent years, and the majority of those children are aged 0-5, with half of those being infants. Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma is a leading cause of child abuse deaths in the United States, and babies (newborn to 4 months) are at greatest risk of injury from shaking. 

Approximately 25 percent of all victims die as a result of their injuries.  Among those who survive, approximately 80 percent suffer permanent physical and mental disabilities. The long-term costs of Shaken Baby Syndrome to Montana families and the economy is too great a cost. 

Prevention education is the first step in changing behavior. Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies—Montana administers the Purple Montana Program, a statewide initiative aimed atprevention utilizing the evidence-based Period of Purple Crying Program. The Period of Purple Crying Program educates new parents about early infant crying, coping strategies and the dangers of shaking their baby. 

Shaken Baby Syndrome is 100 percent preventable! Currently 22 hospitals across Montana are administering the Period of Purple Crying Program. Together we are providing this lifesaving education to over 90 percent of parents delivering in hospitals and clinics across the state, which is over 10,000 Montana babies a year. This however is only the beginning of our long-term prevention goals. There is still so much work to be done to prevent tragedies like this from occurring. For more information please visit our websites: www.hmhb-mt.org and www.purplemt.org  

On behalf of Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies—Montana, our thoughts and prayers go out to the family as they deal with this tragedy. —Judy Edwards, Helena, executive director, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies