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How Small Bruises Lead to Big Ones in Child Abuse Cases

"Sentinel injuries are unexpected injuries that occur in babies who can’t yet  cruise — before they can pull to a stand and take a few steps while holding on to something. “Babies who are not yet cruising shouldn’t be bruising,” says  Sheets. “We already knew that but what we didn’t know is that babies who’ve been horribly abused often have a previous history of bruising.”...

"Providers should also be alert to implausible explanations that could hide the first signs of abuse; such as bumping and bruising in a pre-cruising baby that’s explained as the infant banging her leg on the crib.

"Babies, says Sheets, are actually pretty hard to bruise. They roll over into crib slats and swings all the time, and such bumping with their own body weight  typically shouldn’t leave a mark. “It’s about heightening awareness,” she  says....

"From a public health perspective, it’s also about saving money: each case of child abuse carries with it an estimated $210,000 lifetime price tag, and identifying cases early, or monitoring cases of suspected abuse, could help to alleviate some of these  costs.

"To cut down on abuse, it’s helpful to understand that crying is the primary trigger that sets some parents off. Online campaigns such as the Period of Purple Crying teach parents that crying — lots of it, especially early on — is a normal developmental stage...."

http://healthland.time.com/2013/03/12/how-small-bruises-lead-to-big-ones-in-child-abuse-cases/

 

 

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