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Onesie Program
May 5, 2008 |
The day your child is born provides a memory that will last a lifetime. But for
some new parents the stress of caring for a newborn can seem overwhelming. “I
think truly when you’re taking home a brand new baby it would never enter your
mind that you might shake or hurt that baby,” says Michele King who works with
the Child Advocacy Department at the Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.
She can tell you that the unfortunate fact is that some babies are injured when
their parents lose control. “Sometimes we see the children who’ve survived being
shaken and end up with neurological deficiencies among other problems. Sometimes
we know of babies that have actually died.” That’s one reason why Child
Advocates are handing out little newborn onesies that say Fragile Handle with
Care. The program provides new moms with a wearable reminder that their baby is
a fragile being. “We are accompanying that with shaken baby syndrome prevention
materials. Materials about crying and how to help your baby when the baby is
crying,” Michele says. She reminds frustrated parents that’s its okay to take a
break and calm down when they’re unsuccessful at soothing their crying baby. “If
their frustration level rises that they call somebody call for some relief call
for somebody you can trust to come over and relieve you.” You can also put the
baby in a safe place like their crib and check on them every few minutes until
the crying stops. Hospital officials say they hope to hand out about 900 handle
with care onesies. |
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