Shaken Baby

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I am a senior in a BSN program and the last couple of days make me wonder if I can in fact be a nurse. In my clinical I took care of a newborn baby that was suspected to have been shaken to the point of loosing the ability to breath. I did everything by the book - helped the baby and the family. I even showed the dad the shaken baby tape and explained anger managment (walk away, count to ten - take deep breaths). I helped the primary nurse fill out the suspected abuse forms and call for the opthemologist consult and ultrasound tests. I did everything by the book - the right way and in the right order. After all tests and paperwork was completed our tiny pt was released with an apnea monitor and follow up from family services was arranged. Several weeks have passed, my clinical is finished and as I prepare for my final exams I notice on the local news that this baby - now 1 month old - was brought back to the hospital this time beaten and shaken to death and the dad is in police custody charged with murder. Everything was done "by the book" - so why is this little baby dead - and what as a nursing student could I have done to prevent this from happening. I feel like a useless fool for trusting this baby to "the system" that failed to protect. Should I give up my dream of working with children because I will never be able to help them be well and safe? My heart aches and all I can do is hug my own little daughter. My school has no berievment program or services available and I feel like - I think everyone has the idea how bad.

Specializes in Looking for a career in NICU.
I doubt social workers like being stereotyped any more than nurses do. How do you know the social worker wasn't overruled by a judge? How do you know one parent didn't lie to police about what the other did? How do you know that there aren't other suspects?

What happened is a tragedy for all concerned. Don't not make it worse with needless speculation.

It is very, very ridiculously rare for a judge to not go with a social worker's recommendation when an infant is in a present state of injury from shaken baby syndrome. There is usually substantial evidence presented to the judge that NO ABUSE AT ALL had taken place before a baby is readily returned to the parents. I seriously doubt that happened in this case.

It doesn't matter if the parents lied to the police about what the other did, that isn't a determination for the social worker to make. Parents lying to the police to cover up the other is hugely common. If both parents had access to the child, children are usually removed until a full investigation can take place, and I guarantee you with the backlog of social workers, that didn't take place during the hospital stay of that baby....they take several weeks to complete.

The last people to be with the child is always at the top of the suspect list.

Usually someone at the hospital is called to court in these cases because you can't cross-examine a medical report, so if there was a formal court hearing, the OP probaby would have at least heard about it...but I also will take into consideration and respect the fact that the OP may have chosen to leave that fact out due to privacy reasons, as you never know who is reading the board.

I didn't stereotype any social workers, I gave a single true scenerio.

Sweetie, please try to remember this is a message board...we are all entitled to our opinion...and it's very rude to bash someone else for having one. The OP's cannot always give all facts to a case due to privacy reasons, and if we waited for every detail the board would come to a standstill and turn into a major research project for every post.

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Please see if you can get some help through the hospital's EAP program or a referral from a college counselor or college health centre to a grief counselor. You did nothing wrong. The laws on the books often fail to protect children and instead treat them like possessions. The legal and social service systems must work so hard to uphold parents rights that they ignore the child's rights as a human being. It is very demoralizing. You and the other nurses working with you did not make a decision to beat this child to death. The father did.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
I am so very sorry for you - this is a tragedy. There is nothing you could have done to prevent it. However, if you continue to have difficulty with this situation, please share your feelings with a counselor or a trusted instructor.

I second this. Seek help if this continues to really trouble you to the point of inability to become a nurse. You did nothing wrong. Sadly you will see more situations like this as a nurse. You will have to learn your limits as to what really is within your control, and what is not.

I am so sorry. This makes me beyond angry. I would do anything for one more baby myself.

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Specializes in RN, Cardiac Step Down/Tele Unit.

I think you are just the kind of person that needs to be in peds nursing. It is not possible to make a difference in the life of every patient that you encounter, but if at the end of your career you have made a true difference in the life of just one - then you have done something special. With your passion, I am sure you will have an impact on many children.

If you are passionate about this, you might look into volunteering to be a children's advocate through the courts, if your area has something like this. It is basically someone impartial who volunteers to speak only on behalf of the child in this type case. The social worker often has the entire family to consider, the child advocate has only the child.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
I think you are just the kind of person that needs to be in peds nursing. It is not possible to make a difference in the life of every patient that you encounter, but if at the end of your career you have made a true difference in the life of just one - then you have done something special. With your passion, I am sure you will have an impact on many children.

If you are passionate about this, you might look into volunteering to be a children's advocate through the courts, if your area has something like this. It is basically someone impartial who volunteers to speak only on behalf of the child in this type case. The social worker often has the entire family to consider, the child advocate has only the child.

Here's the info for the Court Appointed Special Advocate program. I'm considering this myself.

National CASA

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royr,

What a gut wrenching story. I feel your pain.

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Other than go down and shake the social workers and their bosses like the baby was shaken I don't think that you could do anything any differently.

You are a caring and compassionate nurse and we need people like you! Please do not let this discourage you, rather take all those emotions and turn it into something good. Get invloved with social agencies that lobby for the protection of children. I used to babysit for free the children of parents like this so that they could take mandatory parenting classes and was on a local childrens advocacy board. Once college is thru I plan on resuming these roles and more as a nurse to help our kids.

I know your frustration- I have seen it twice. Once while sitting for above kids, a little boy had definate red welted handprints on his bottom, legs and backside. I had to report this and yes the police stormed her home with DCYF but she kept the kids and being the next day the red welts were gone. No proof and the boy was only 2- left with his mom.

I also know of a case where a junkie mom who neglected her son to the point where he was underweight was able to OD in front of him like 4 times!! They just told her not to do it again!! Evidently you can be caught shooting up in front of your kids and just be told it aint smart and they walk away.

Needless to say, I can't wait to be in a position to lobby for changes and kids rights. That is the only thing we can do. Maybe telling this story would help bring changes in the system. Honestly I can't imagine that they let the baby go home with the family!!

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Specializes in PICU, Nurse Educator, Clinical Research.

One of my first patients as a PICU nurse was a shaken infant (maybe 3 weeks old). The DA wasn't able to press charges for attempted murder because they didn't have enough data about who shook the baby nearly to death. The only way that was going to happen was if the baby died.

This poor kid was never going to regain any function. He was incapable of surviving off of the ventilator. We took pictures of him to submit to the DA, trying to get the court to have care withdrawn. That wasn't happening, so the plan was to send him home to specialized foster care. Several potential foster parents came in to be interviewed, but they all left in tears after seeing him. Not one said they could handle it. The baby eventually died in the hospital, and I'm not sure what happened to the parents.

It was hard to see this. I'm sure this was incredibly difficult for you. I agree with the other posters encouraging you to seek out a trusted advisor or counselor so you can talk about how this is affecting you. It sounds like your actions and intentions were the best they could possibly have been. I've worked with nurses who simply didn't want assignments with these kids because they couldn't control the anger they felt towards the abuser. You sound like someone who would really shine in pediatrics. Seeing abuse patients is hard for everyone- the important thing is learning how to process your own feelings about the situation so you can provide effective care, and keep your sanity.

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I'm completely with you! But you definitely shouldn't give up. This should only reinforce everything you've been doing so far. You were one of the incredible people who were fighting for this little one, that's what the nursing profession is about. And you exuded that in all ways possible! When you continue on in your career just never forget about those babies and even adults that got "the short end of the stick" because its people like you who make the difference. Keep your head up sweetie, you can do it!

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the irony of cps, is mind-boggling.

generally, i have seen well-meaning parents prosecuted and scum-for-parents, vindicated.

anger-mgmt my orifice.

parents that do this are useless in my book.

you did everything humanly possible to help.

there will always be some who fear getting involved and so, do the wrong thing.

there are some who feel defeated by the horrible system, and authorize release of the baby (to the parents), knowing there is little they can do.

i've actually had a couple of (hospice) pts who i strongly suspected, were being abused and i was told by my superiors, to mind my own business.

people are funny creatures.

and yes, i'm being polite.

leslie

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I feel so sorry for you. You sound like you will make a wonderful nurse. Unfortunately, Children and Family Services can not always get it all done though. Atleast the little one is in a better place now.

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You have chosen a profession that is not always kind to our psyche. But you can overcome the guilt and shame by continuing on the path you have carved out and looking for other opportunities to make a difference. You are special. You are a Nurse.

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