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help a local baby was taken away for having a uc!

34K views 393 replies 116 participants last post by  mollyeilis 
#1 ·
i need advice! a local baby was taken away from her family by cps for being "endangered" because mom had an unassisted birth. what can be done? should we picket cps? call the papers? any other ideas? i am so sick about this... I could just cry for this poor family... : (
 
#3 ·
here is the story:
"
mom had a raging yeast infections with major discharge, could not get ahold of her friend, did not know what to do so she went to the hospital to find out what she should do. they ended up telling them that they were having a unassisted birth, and of course everyone freaked out and told them how unsafe it is to do a birth like that.
next day cps showed up at there house and said they would be back in a few days since they found out her due date and they would check on her.
mom went into labor that afternoon, had baby 36 hours later, cps showed up 4 days later with SEVEN people at their door. dad said sorry, not letting you in unless you have court order, they said we are just here to check and see if mom and baby are alive, please let us in. so they did. all seven people told mom and dad ( very young mom and day who are all by themselves ) that baby needs to go to the hospital. finally mom and dad "let" them take baby to hospital.
their friend calls and baby is no longer in the hospital but in foster care, because there is nothing wrong with baby.
mom MAY be let to go see baby today, ONCE, and maybe nurse. Mama is pumping, her milk just came in."
 
#4 ·
Wait... I'm confused. Did the mom go to the hospital with the baby? It sounds like the mom let them take the baby with them.

Isn't Washington supposed to be a friendly state for homebirthing or maybe I am all mixed up.

Either way this just sucks
But, I just don't understand how they could just let them take her baby...

Crystal
 
#5 ·
That is so scary (and makes me mad as hell). I have no advice at all , wish I did. Good luck to this family, I hope they are reunited very soon.
This breaks my heart though to think about that sweet baby wanting it's mama and mama desperate for her baby (daddy too).
It's just wrong.
 
#6 ·
That sounds horrific! I hope she will get her baby back. If I were in her position I would get a laywer asap. also I would have never "let" them take the baby to the hospital either. it seems like CPS may have overstepped their bounds maybe or got coercive (I mean 7 people?wtf?) but it also sounds like the parents went along with it.

btw do you have a link to any articles about this?

oh and I am pretty positive there is a mama on MDC who had her kids taken away (from events that spiraled out of cotrol from a UC) hopefully she will post some advice here!
 
#8 ·
Quote:
mom had a raging yeast infections with major discharge, could not get ahold of her friend, did not know what to do so she went to the hospital to find out what she should do. they ended up telling them that they were having a unassisted birth, and of course everyone freaked out and told them how unsafe it is to do a birth like that.
next day cps showed up at there house and said they would be back in a few days since they found out her due date and they would check on her.
mom went into labor that afternoon, had baby 36 hours later, cps showed up 4 days later with SEVEN people at their door. dad said sorry, not letting you in unless you have court order, they said we are just here to check and see if mom and baby are alive, please let us in. so they did. all seven people told mom and dad ( very young mom and day who are all by themselves ) that baby needs to go to the hospital. finally mom and dad "let" them take baby to hospital.
their friend calls and baby is no longer in the hospital but in foster care, because there is nothing wrong with baby.
mom MAY be let to go see baby today, ONCE, and maybe nurse. Mama is pumping, her milk just came in."

WHAT!!!!!!!!??????? Ugh. Throwing a fit over here. They will get the baby back, but now they may have to dance to the tune of CPS. CPS won't be able to prove they are endangering the child if he or she was healthy and that the mother was taking good care of herself. Getting a damn good lawyer wouldn't hurt. The reason CPS got involved is because they said something to begin with (However, I understand that the hospital would ask while they were there "Who is your OB? You don't have one?! Why not?! etc.). Most hospitals love to call CPS, especially since in their mind the mother had a "heath problem" (they look for every reason to tell a woman she is unhealthy and basically "diseased" when she is pregnant - even yeast infections can be used against her). I understand she needed help with her yeast infection, and she shouldn't have to keep her mouth shut. The second mistake is even letting CPS in the door - they had no warrent, therefore the father was within his rights to deny them entry. If anyone has learned anything today, I cannot stress this enough - Don't trust CPS! Once you have let them in, you basically lose your rights.

Anyways, as for what we can do, I am not sure there is much we can do. On another board I am a member of, several months ago another family also lost their child due to their attempt at an unassisted home birth. Many of us wrote CPS letters expressing that they had every right to have an unassisted birth. In turn, CPS got furious, and refused to work with the family until they put a stop to the letters and basically kept their mouth shut and did what they were told. However, WA may be different, I don't know. The best thing they can do right now is get a good lawyer.
 
#12 ·
Ack! How scary! UC is not illegal anywhere, and that baby is not likely to have to go through childbirth again anytime soon. The baby's not in "danger" anymore. The HB laws here in WA actually aren't too bad, but the DOH lately has been working outside of their jurisdiction to crack down on any births that they can't directly supervise. I know they recently tried to prosecute a MW because she attended a breech birth. There's no law against UC or home breech birth but there's no one to stop them from their opinions either.
 
#13 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by faithhopelove
Wait... I'm confused. Did the mom go to the hospital with the baby? It sounds like the mom let them take the baby with them.

Isn't Washington supposed to be a friendly state for homebirthing or maybe I am all mixed up.

Either way this just sucks
But, I just don't understand how they could just let them take her baby...

Crystal
Yeah,WA is "friendly" for homebirth provided you have a by-the-rules licensed midwife attending you. Otherwise, it SUCKS.
 
#14 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Zamber
The second mistake is even letting CPS in the door - they had no warrent, therefore the father was within his rights to deny them entry. If anyone has learned anything today, I cannot stress this enough - Don't trust CPS! Once you have let them in, you basically lose your rights.
I cannot stress this enough. CPS is EVIL. they will say anything to get your child. in my state they do not even need to have documentable evidence of neglect/abuse/etc to take a child. that is very scary. I would never let them even step foot inside my house without a court order (warrant) and a cop or maybe 2. never ever let these terrible people inside your house.

for the family this happened to i'm so sorry this happened to them. just cements my thoughts about cps.
 
#16 ·
in *MY* case, the key to getting CPS back out of our lives once they were in (it's really not as simple as 'don't let them in'), was avoiding silence.
when i had an initial court hearing, we took about two dozen friends with, and friends contacted legislators and representatives.
our atty then supboenaed an 'important' political figure who was sympathetic to (parts of) the case.

not surprisingly, they dropped their case immediately before it was to go to a fact finding hearing (aka trial, where we were going to present OUR reality to a judge).

i am very sorry about this. i of course don't know what to advise, but the stronger a support network they have, the better off they will all be.
 
#17 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Belle
the DOH lately has been working outside of their jurisdiction to crack down on any births that they can't directly supervise.
Yeah, because it is SO much better to separate a baby from its mama than to let a mother get away unpunished after having a normal but non-governmentally-sanctioned birth.

ARGGGGGGGGH.

Evil, evil, evil.

And how can they crack down on something that is not even illegal and when no harm has occurred? I am completely and utterly flabbergasted that they have this power.
 
#18 ·
Ugh it's crap like this that scares the crap out of me. More than any birth complication scenario one could think up. I remember clutching my Uc'ed babe crying and terrified of the thought of someone taking him away. I can't imagine that actually happening, I came close enough.

My thoughts go out to this family.
 
#19 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by fourlittlebirds
And how can they crack down on something that is not even illegal and when no harm has occurred? I am completely and utterly flabbergasted that they have this power.
Maddening, isn't it.
 
#21 ·
I, too had the Dept of Human Services/CPS nosing around in my household-but then, EVERYONE in my low-income housing complex did. I believed it was discrimination against the poor. And DHS/CPS aren't frightened by poor people because we can't afford the good lawyers. I was so pleased to move out of the apartments, and guess what, DHS hasn't bothered us since.

When my fiance' and i get pregnant, i will play along with medical exams (YUCK) but i will keep the UC info quiet to those out of my support circle. It just seems safer

my heart goes out to this family and i pray that CPS will get their heads outta their a$$e$ and give the baby back to his/her loving parents
 
#22 ·
update before i go to bed they were hoping to have a court date for tomorrow, but since I haven't heard I am guessing they haven't gotten one (at least not yet *fingerscrossed*) so if not tomorrow then not until monday.... : ( I am hoping to picket cps tomorrow anyways.... keep praying, please!
 
#24 ·
That is horrible. I've heard stories of moms getting CPS called on them, but the cases always get closed because in order to have grounds to take the baby they have to prove that birth is inherently dangerous or that the parents neglected INJURIES following the event.
They can't do the first, so I feel like there's something missing from this. :-/
 
#25 ·
that is sooooooooo awful!!


For our next birth (not even TTC yet) I'm planning a home birth with a midwife, and this seals my decision to not tell anyone. i will just tell them I'm going thru the freestanding birth center where we went for DD. I don't trust that noone would report it and in the state we will hopefully living in at the time, homebirth midwives aren't lisenced even tho the one we will use even has doctor backup. But I'd hate for CPS to be involved! UGh!
 
#26 ·
This story makes me sick.

I wish that little family much strength, power, and energy to get their precious child back, and set CPS straight! I agree with writing in to local papers... awareness needs to be raised about the truth of unassisted birth, or this will continue to happen.

that poor, poor, little, helpless, innocent baby
 
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