Aa
desperate for an answer... or an idea
I'm facing jail time for something i didn't do. I am 21 years old and my son was born 10-22-08. 2weeks after birth he started getting red dots on his face. The pediatrician said there's nothing to worry about his color is just coming in. the next week the dots got darker sort of like bruises but only on his face. Once again his doctor said it was nothing to worry about. I had to disagree because they would come and go throughout the day. And, of course, he didn't have them at his appointment. She then told me sometimes babies cry and break blood vessels causing bruises in there faces. The only thing that bothered me about that explanation is that my son almost NEVER cried. And it's almost impossible to explain that these marks aren't normal and they were never there when i needed them to be. On November 25, 2008 my son had to be admitted to the emergency room. He was seizing, he had these bruises covering his face, internal bleeding in his head and he was almost unconscious ( i woke up to see this when i noticed he didn't wake up to eat at his normal time). The doctors immediately called it child abuse and i haven't had my son since. The only thing i can think of is he had this "hematoma" on his head that had fluid in it and a day after the fluid disappeared his all happened so maybe a rupture or a leak. But this hematoma the doctors "at birth" said it would go away in a matter of weeks which it didn't. They said it was from labor trauma but is that even possible since i had such an easy labor and nothing was used to get him out? My son has had multiple blood transfusions and was hospitalized for a week and a half. He is in foster care and is now healthy but still has to be watched closely by doctors and is on seizure meds. I really just want to know if anyone has ever heard of or witnessed such things. Anything, I've been trying to find something since day one and i know reaching out is the best way. These are some things that I find interesting that the doctors do not.
When my son was admitted to the hospital he had bruises, when he got stable he didn't. To me that shows an internal problem not child abuse.
My son was released a week and a half after being there. The doctors told me that he would be there at least 6 months and he would have to be on a respirator for most of the time.
They said my son would be mentally retarded, he is most definitely not.
When i got to the hospital they told me the technology they had there would be able to tell them if my son was hit, what he has hit with, and at what angle. But they do not know anything.
my son is now 8 months and i am missing everything. he's my first born and the doctors didn't think i could have
any children. he's my pride and joy and for a while i thought God would take care of it and everything would work out. I still believe that but sometimes it just gets so hard. They say God doesn't give you more than what you can handle. so i know i can handle it even if i couldn't this isn't for me it's for my child and I'll do whatever i have to do for however long, I just want to know what's wrong with my baby. PLEASE help us!!!
When my son was admitted to the hospital he had bruises, when he got stable he didn't. To me that shows an internal problem not child abuse.
My son was released a week and a half after being there. The doctors told me that he would be there at least 6 months and he would have to be on a respirator for most of the time.
They said my son would be mentally retarded, he is most definitely not.
When i got to the hospital they told me the technology they had there would be able to tell them if my son was hit, what he has hit with, and at what angle. But they do not know anything.
my son is now 8 months and i am missing everything. he's my first born and the doctors didn't think i could have
any children. he's my pride and joy and for a while i thought God would take care of it and everything would work out. I still believe that but sometimes it just gets so hard. They say God doesn't give you more than what you can handle. so i know i can handle it even if i couldn't this isn't for me it's for my child and I'll do whatever i have to do for however long, I just want to know what's wrong with my baby. PLEASE help us!!!
I have seen a couple of cases reported as possible child abuse due to unexplained bruising in young children, when I was a social worker. In those cases, abuse was quickly ruled out when lab work indicated low platelet count indicative of ITP, the same condition that Lulu's daughter had. With ITP, bruising does not come and go throughout the day, so this makes me doubtful that this is what is causing the bruising in your son which spontaneously appears and disappears.
Based on your son's presentation to the ER: seizure, facial bruising, internal bleeding and nearly unconscious, at only one month old, it sounds like the doctors were obligated by law and had no other choice but to report their observations to child protection. This does not necessarily mean they are totally confident that he was abused, just that it might be a possibility based on what they are seeing, for lack of another explanation at the time the report was made.
I am not sure how it works in the U.S., but when your son was apprehended you should have been served with a court order detailing the grounds on which the apprehension was based. In such cases in Canada, the various provincial laws provide fairly tight timeframes for the agency and the parent(s) to go before the court when a child has been taken into care; if the judge orders interim custody to the agency, there are subsequent hearings which again, must occur within a strict timeline. My assumption is that there would be somewhat similar processes in the U.S. If you haven't consulted a attorney yet, you need to do so ASAP, and as Tammy suggests, Legal Aid can help those who may not be able to afford one on their own. 8 months is a very long time for an infant to be in foster care, and you need to take action on your own and your child's behalf. I would hope that during this time, the agency has ensured that thorough medical examination and extensive testing has taken place to attempt to get to the root of the problem. As a parent I believe you should be entitled to receive copies of medical tests performed on your son as well as any other medical reports. The agency should have provided any such documentation in their court application; however if you never received them, you need to get copies .You say you are 'facing jail time', I don't know if by this you mean that you have been charged by the police? In any event, while seeking moral support online can be helpful, what you really need at this time is sound legal advice from an attorney well versed in family law in your state.
One thing I would add, if it helps to reassure you at all, is that in my experience, social workers are never happy to place children in foster care, especially infants, and returning children to their parent(s) whenever possible is always the way we hope such cases will turn out.
Based on your son's presentation to the ER: seizure, facial bruising, internal bleeding and nearly unconscious, at only one month old, it sounds like the doctors were obligated by law and had no other choice but to report their observations to child protection. This does not necessarily mean they are totally confident that he was abused, just that it might be a possibility based on what they are seeing, for lack of another explanation at the time the report was made.
I am not sure how it works in the U.S., but when your son was apprehended you should have been served with a court order detailing the grounds on which the apprehension was based. In such cases in Canada, the various provincial laws provide fairly tight timeframes for the agency and the parent(s) to go before the court when a child has been taken into care; if the judge orders interim custody to the agency, there are subsequent hearings which again, must occur within a strict timeline. My assumption is that there would be somewhat similar processes in the U.S. If you haven't consulted a attorney yet, you need to do so ASAP, and as Tammy suggests, Legal Aid can help those who may not be able to afford one on their own. 8 months is a very long time for an infant to be in foster care, and you need to take action on your own and your child's behalf. I would hope that during this time, the agency has ensured that thorough medical examination and extensive testing has taken place to attempt to get to the root of the problem. As a parent I believe you should be entitled to receive copies of medical tests performed on your son as well as any other medical reports. The agency should have provided any such documentation in their court application; however if you never received them, you need to get copies .You say you are 'facing jail time', I don't know if by this you mean that you have been charged by the police? In any event, while seeking moral support online can be helpful, what you really need at this time is sound legal advice from an attorney well versed in family law in your state.
One thing I would add, if it helps to reassure you at all, is that in my experience, social workers are never happy to place children in foster care, especially infants, and returning children to their parent(s) whenever possible is always the way we hope such cases will turn out.
I had forgotten but the same thing that happened to Lu's daughter happened to my nephew and indeed it looked like bruises and they did come and go.
terry
terry
In Kentucky we have whats called Legal Aid for those who can't afford representation. Do you have anything like that in your area? You can find it in the local phone book here. Best wishes & God be with you!
i am only beginning my search on this forum and i will continue my search here. this website is the best thing ive found yet and i found it on an accident. thank you for your input and support. i do not have a good legal representative because i cannot afford one but i think that with people like you giving support and hope i can find a solution; that is my mission and i have the determination and drive to not let my child become a statistic of child abuse. once again i thank you, and God bless.
Dear Ziggy2008,
You have posted your question on the Multiple Sclerosis forum here at MedHelp - I hope you have posted this on multiple forums searching for answers.
My daughter, about the age of 18 months, suddenly was covered with red spots and bruises - if we had not already been working closely with our pediatrician (dr dan) with her chronic ear infections, I have no doubt that we would have been referred to children's services as a suspected child abuse case.
Her problem was through ongoing use of antibiotics, her spleen had started to malfunction. Her platelet count plunged and she developed immunothrombocytopeniapurpura. - in simple words she developed tiny hemmorages all over her body and many of these turned into ugly bruises. A course of prednisone stopped the internal bleeding and she was released from the hospital in about 5 days. It was a very scary time, and included testing for cancer and leukemia.
I can only imagine what you are going through - I hope you have a good legal representative to help you facing these charges and I hope your son is well.
I hope you get some answers soon and a resolution to this.
Lulu
You have posted your question on the Multiple Sclerosis forum here at MedHelp - I hope you have posted this on multiple forums searching for answers.
My daughter, about the age of 18 months, suddenly was covered with red spots and bruises - if we had not already been working closely with our pediatrician (dr dan) with her chronic ear infections, I have no doubt that we would have been referred to children's services as a suspected child abuse case.
Her problem was through ongoing use of antibiotics, her spleen had started to malfunction. Her platelet count plunged and she developed immunothrombocytopeniapurpura. - in simple words she developed tiny hemmorages all over her body and many of these turned into ugly bruises. A course of prednisone stopped the internal bleeding and she was released from the hospital in about 5 days. It was a very scary time, and included testing for cancer and leukemia.
I can only imagine what you are going through - I hope you have a good legal representative to help you facing these charges and I hope your son is well.
I hope you get some answers soon and a resolution to this.
Lulu
Hello! I'm so sorry to hear what your going through! Its heartbreaking! I"m sorry I can't give you answers as to whats wrong but just please know that I'll be praying for you! Don't give Up!!! Gods timing isn't our timing but He's always right on time! I know that doesn't give you alot of comfort right now but trust God completely. Have you ever watched that tv show called Mystery Diagnosis on the Discovery channel? I'm not sure but I think they might have had a case similar to yours on there. I know they also have a website so mabey you could google it or something. I'm so sorry I can't help you more but I can pray & that certainly gets things done. God bless you!
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