So I started back at the beginning of the thread and I am only about halfway through, but I wanted to address something about well-child visits and the doctor. I've seen many posts that state the doctor visits for the first year are "mandatory" and that home nurses come out. Unfortunately, neither one of these are true in a blanket sense.
I was a family therapist (basically a glorified social worker) for years and I worked with hundreds of families with infants. I've also had 3 children myself. While there ARE certain state and federal programs (HANDS comes to mind, for instance), there are no federal or state laws that state that infants MUST have well-child visits that first year. They are highly encouraged and suggested, but they're not mandated. In fact, many insurance programs, including Medicaid, will actually reward parents for making those visits in an attempt to encourage them to stick to a schedule. Most pediatric offices have a lot of patients. If they see that a child is up for a visit or has missed a visit, they'll generally send a reminder note or make a phone call, but that's it.
Now, if medical abuse is suspected that's a totally different thing. They can make a report. Not making a well-child visit, however, is not considered medical abuse. You are not required by law to take your child to the doctor if that child is not sick. In fact, you're technically not required by law to take your child to the doctor if they ARE sick-you're only required to get them proper medical care. And that can be REALLY subjective, which is a problem. It's a gray area.
Not even most Medicaid programs cover home health nurses for healthy babies. It's a whole procedure to get them to cover services for sick ones. However, there ARE programs out there, like HANDS, in which social workers (not always doctors or even medically trained people) come out once a week or once a month and work with new parents to help them with lactation, newborn care, etc. HANDS is entirely optional, though, and this family would not have qualified for it because it's only available to first-time parents.
All of this came up when someone asked if the baby hadn't been to the doctor in those 4 months. It's possible they took him after he was born, but maybe they didn't. For all 3 of my children's births, I simply wrote down a pediatrician's name on the report after he was born. None of the 3 different hospitals I gave birth at contacted that pediatrician to confirm that I'd made an appointment with them. Even if they had contacted the pediatrician, it wouldn't have rung any alarm bells if I hadn't gone to an appointment-the doctor probably would've just assumed that I'd decided to go someplace else.
Unfortunately, it's relatively easy to fall through the cracks.
I find it hard to believe that he was that small at his death and nobody in his life noticed before. On the other hand, he looks healthy in the pictures I've seen of him.
But seriously. Standing in a public place and handing him off to almost anyone would've been better than what they did.
to HayLouise for the tweets!!
