Newborn baby left blind and brain damaged after father's abuse

This is such terrible news. A newborn baby was abused by her father so badly that it left her blind and brain damaged for life.

Today the girl is two, and has lost the ability to breathe. She now relies on a life-support machine. She also needs to be fed medication through tubes to help regulate her blood pressure and urination.

Newborn Abused by Father Left Blind and Brain Damaged

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the shocking incident happened in Hong Kong, The 26-year-old father, Chung Kei-yuen, has admitted to the High Court that he slapped and shook his just weeks-old baby violently, back in December 2016.

He was mad that he wasn’t able to sleep properly, because his baby wouldn’t stop crying.

The child was about a month old then. Chung would slap the crying baby three to four times before holding her up and shaking her four to five times. Three such assaults happened in the same month.

After the last assault, Chung suspected that something was wrong with the baby. Apparently, he searched on the Internet for “bb’s (baby’s) body turning cold”. He sent her to a health clinic three hours later.

Doctors found that the little baby had been subjected to “abusive trauma”. She had internal bleeding too.

Doctors had to remove the vitreous body of her right eye – the clear gel between the lens and retina – due to internal bleeding, leaving her blind. A similar surgery on her left eye became impossible after the retina fell off.

“He is Going to Live in Regret for the Rest of his Life”

Chung now regrets his wrongdoing, and apparently burst into tears in court when he heard how his actions had caused brain damage in his child.

“He is going to live in regret for the rest of his life,” said his lawyer.

In mitigation his lawyer said that Chung was overworked and stressed out, as he was the primary carer for the child, and worked long hours as a kitchen hand.

His girlfriend (and mother of his child) spent most of her time on the Internet, playing online games.

Though his mother-in-law had moved in to help take care of the baby, she hadn’t been of much help, contributing more to the mess instead.

Chung’s frustration over not being able to make the baby stop crying was what had led to the abuse.

“Not being able to control his emotion and without an understanding of the consequences, he caused the incidents to happen,” said his lawyer.

The verdict for the case is awaited on 4 September 2018.

How to Keep Calm When Baby Won’t Stop Crying

When your little baby just won’t stop crying, you might be tempted to do just about anything in an attempt to make her stop. But whatever you do, please don’t shake your baby.

This is because babies have weak neck muscles and often struggle to support their heads.

According to the MayoClinic, shaking your baby out of sheer frustration might have devastating consequences — including blindness, brain damage or mental retardation. It can be life-threatening or even fatal.

Here are some ways to calm your crying baby:

Start with the Basics

Babies normally cry when they are hungry or sleepy. The first thing that you could try with your crying infant is to either feed them or hold them up for burping. Also check if they need a diaper change.

If it is close to nap-time, you can change their position or rock them a little so that they easily fall asleep. If none of this works, maybe your baby just needs some attention and could do with a little bonding time with you.

Some common reasons why babies cry are:

• Sleepiness or fatigue
• Wet or dirty diaper
• Hunger
• Overstimulation from noise or activity
• Colic, acid reflux, or food allergies
• Pain or illness
• Gas
• Stranger anxiety or fear

If the Tears Still Won’t Stop

Many times, the baby seems to be okay but continues to cry. At such times, it is most important to keep cool and try out the following things:

• Hold your baby close to you and talk to her or sing to her. Tell her that she will be okay.
• Try getting out of the house. Getting outdoors for a quick walk or a short drive might help in soothing your little one.
• Remind yourself that while it is okay to get frustrated by the incessant crying of your baby, anger won’t help. Sometimes, babies just need to cry it out. Babies have feelings too.
• In case you are the only one handling your crying baby, take a break when you feel the need to. Ask your partner or trusted friend to take over for a while until you calm your nerves.
• When you’ve tried almost everything and the baby still won’t calm down, take professional help from a health expert.

Source: South China Morning Post

Featured image: Picsea on Unsplash

Also READ: Abusive father in Singapore fractures baby daughter’s skull