my friend's baby was taken by CPS!

[amybw]

What can she do? Any one have advice or BTDT?

On Aug 15 her baby ( born March 19 at 28 weeks ) stopped breathing and they had to do CPR. (he had breathing/eating/feeding issues before he came home from the NICU )
They took him to the ER. While there they discovered he had a subdural hematoma ( bleeding onthe brain).
Aug 20 they wouldnt let them take him home, he went to live with grandparents, but my friend and her husband could visit as much as possible. (not overnight)
CPS said it looked like shaken baby or other abuse.

They have been through lie detector tests, questioning, etc.
The baby has been through CT scans, bone scans, blood tests, etc, etc,etc
ON TOP pf al the preemie crud he has already been through! He just came home to them in May! Less than 3 mths home!

Last week they separated them (mt friend and her husband) for questioning and tried to pit them against each other. She said it will never work because no one hurt their baby.

Yesterday her mom failed her lie detector test so he had to go live with his other grandparents.
As of today CPS has taken custody and they are letting him live with the grandparents for now. Not sure if the wait is because they are looking for fosters, or whatever.

now she said all that is left is fighting for him. They have an attorney and are doing what they can. If a professional witness will say it doesnt look like abuse, then the case is closed. Other than that, it looks like a trial is intheir future.

I have provided her with lots of possible vax related info ( thanks MDC Mommas!) and anythign else I can find.

Anyone have any advice?

Thanks so much for thoguhts, prayers, ideas, info , anything!

[diamond lil]

All I can offer is my thoughts and prayers. I have read somewhere that vaccine some vaccine injuries can look like shaken baby syndrome. I would definately look deeper into that.

[sbgrace]

Did they find any other signs of abuse that you know of?

Does he live in a state with expanded newborn screening?
There is a metabolic condition that can look like abuse so that would be something to investigate. This is Glutaric Aciduria Type I
http://pediatrics.aappublications.or...full/107/2/451

The presence of GA-I warrants diagnostic consideration in cases with subdural hematoma with no additional physical findings suggestive of child abuse.6 The diagnostic workup should include urine analysis of organic acids, plasma carnitine/acylcarnitine analysis, measurement of enzyme activity in fibroblasts or leukocytes, and/or mutation analysis

Most expanded newborn screens would look for this but I did find at least one link where a child had it and it wasn't detected on the newborn screen. http://pediatrics.aappublications.or...ull/107/5/1184 More information on children who presented with the sudural hematomas but it was actually GA-I http://www.sbsdefense.com/newsite/GA-1.htm Additionally, not all states do expanded screenings.

Hopefully they did a work-up for GA-I if he had no other signs of abuse. That needs to be figured out somehow. I'd want a re-check even if he had an expanded newborn screen.

I'm really sorry. Was the baby ever watched by someone other than your friend?

Here is a study on young children presenting with sudural hematoma without abuse but due instead to something called benign enlargement of the subarachnoid spaces. Again, I would think they have ruled that out. But the way to search is subdural hematoma without abuse and see what you can find for them.
http://www.ajnr.org/cgi/content/full/27/8/1725

I'm assuming there were no other signs of abuse. Is the baby ok now?

[sbgrace]

I found this one in searching to see if his prematurity might later lead to this. I'm not sure but this might be helpful:
http://www.freeyurko.bizland.com/buttram6.html
This indicated up to six weeks after birth and I know he's past that. It later talks about re-bleeds in kids with prior bleeds (so if he had a bleed as a preemie for example). This site is laid out as a defense against child abuse/shaken baby allegations. http://www.sbstruth.com/Questions%20...troversies.htm

If he had had a bleed in the NICU as a preemie I think it would be really significant to their case.
They need a good lawyer.

I think I have to say that most of the time kids who present with this injury have been abused and need protection. But clearly there are cases where abuse hasn't occured and yet it is alleged. It's horrible to think your child would be taken and you accused of abuse like that.

[sbgrace]

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/menkes/menkes.htm
I saw this disease can cause subdural hemotomas and it presents at about this babies age. http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=14393149 But I think they would have seen other signs of this.

[organic-momma]

I have no advice to offer I just wanted to say that I will be praying for your friend. What an awful, awful situation for everyone involved, my heart aches for her family.

[Freefromitall]

My main advice would be lawyer up PRONTO!

[I-AM-Mother]

Originally Posted by Freefromitall

My main advice would be lawyer up PRONTO!

I'm so with you and believe me when that mother (if she had nothing to do with hurting her baby) gets through with the system they will regret fooling with her. It may take some time but she has nothing but time on her hands now.

*there is nothing worse than a mother scorned*

[Authentic_Mother]

I know that Dr. G Medical Examiner did a case like this before where the parents lost a child for no good reason as well! So - I dont know what her actual name is or anythign but I would try to look her up and see if she would take the case and help you.
You would think that the doctor's themselves that have been a part of this child's life from the get go would be able to vouch that the child wasn't shaken - but I dunno.
Eitherway my heart goes out to them - I cannot even imagine!

[Anglyn]

www.fightcps.com

[happyhippimama]

I am so sorry for you friend. Good luck to all involved. LAWYERS! CPS SUCKS!!

[2lilsweetfoxes]

I know you want to believe that your friend did not and could not harm her baby, but SBS is not a cumulative-injury disorder, but rather a sudden, violent (although the actual shake/jerk does not have to seem that violent to the caregiver) one-time event that often occurs when the caregiver has reached the end of his/her rope--maybe sleep deprivation or needing some time alone coupled with a baby that won't stop crying or cries every time you try putting him down--and snapped briefly. Many SBS victims were much-wanted children of otherwise very loving parents.

[Annie44]

Vaccine injuries DO AND WILL look like SBS... People have gone to prison over what was a vaccine injury. It just makes me SO angry that some people will not accept that a vaccine injury will present this way. I do believe a woman was let out of prison because of this. It took a loooong time though. Good parents are looking like horrible people all because of VACCINES!!! It makes me so angry.

[Murihiku]

The December issue of Discover Magazine (out now) has an article on the controversy surrouding Shaken Baby Syndrome.

[Thandiwe]

Am I the only one stunned by the fact that CPS is running lie detector tests and determining where this baby can live based on that?? What does the ISP look like (initial service plan)? This far into the game, they have to either have offered the parents a treatment plan or have a term trial on the records. If they offer a treatment plan, your friend needs to do everything humanly possible to complete it asap!!

Big hugs; I can't imagine.

[2lilsweetfoxes]

CPS has a lot of problems and needs to be reworked. The whole concept. CPS should focus its energies on helping families and keeping children safe. They do not need to be doing investigations. Let the police handle that aspect. Here's the closing paragraph of an essay I wrote on the subject:

Child abuse is a crime, and as such, should be handled in criminal, not family or juvenile, courts. Parents accused of assaulting their child should be held to the same standard of evidence—beyond a reasonable doubt—as persons accused of other crimes before the child is permanently removed (which in family court is equivilent to a death sentence in criminal court). They should also receive the same protections against self-incrimination and have independent legal counsel.

[Monda]

Originally Posted by Freefromitall

My main advice would be lawyer up PRONTO!

This, and the baby should have a CASA appointed by the court. Make sure that person has all sides of the story as early on as possible!