Question by SS: How can I defend myself and my daughter from a false neglect claim? I post a question about my daughter's weight every few days and the responses repeat what all the other pediatrician's opinions that she's not the weight she should be in accordance with her birth weight which was 9lb 4oz (I was 7lb and her father was 8lb so we don't know why she was so big) but that she is still a healthy 15lb 4oz 7 month old. She lost close to 2 lb in t 04;e hospital after she was born she regained the weight in 2 1/2 weeks and gains weight regularly just she isn't 20lb like the weight charts recommend. She eats about 24-30 oz of formula a day and about a 3/4 a jar of baby foods and some of those garber graduates cereal pieces here and there. She is only fussy when she is tired, but other than that she is happy and crawls aroun&# 100; all day like any other baby. She sits up by herself and plays with her toys and is social. I'm lucky to have such a happy sweet baby. At her 6 month check up before I took her for her shots (including the flu shot) I talked to her fill in pediatrician (her's was on vacation) about her weight gain and what she should eat. The pediatrician didn't even listen to her whole history, she asked how I feed her and I said that she eats 6 oz of formula at a time unless she is constipated and then I might add .5 oz of water each extra wit 04; some Karo syrup. She said that I can't "water her formula" and that's why she was always small from birth on (I breastfeed until 2 month ago and she was still on the same growth pattern as now). Even though the pediatrician gave me an attitude I didn't say no to a follow up with her 4 days later. That night my daughter had a low fever and didn't want to eat probably because she got all of her shots for 6 months and her flu shot. The next day she was fine and ate normally. At the appointment 4 days later she had lost 1 oz from 4 days before. Her pediatrician freaked out and ordered blood work to be done and sa id she would probably have to go to a gastroenterologist. Then there was no call for a month (in which my baby gained a pound) which I took as a good sign. The 7 month appointment the doctor had an attitude saying things like 'are you still doctoring the baby's food" I asked how to prevent my baby from having rough skin on her knees from crawling and the pediatrician said "why didn't you ; buy her knee pads" (do baby knee pads even exist?!) When I was leaving she said "instead of driving out here so often I'll have a nurse drive out to do the next weight follow up in your home'. The way she said it really seemed odd, especially because she was clear that there was nothing to worry about with the blood tests. Today my husband got a call from a nurse who was instructed to observe and instruct me on how to feed my baby. My husband doesn't care he's an asshole I've always known that, but it makes me wonder what's next from this pediatrician and what I should do or if I am even wrong. By the way I have always been small I was not a low birth weight but the average 7lb 8oz but I was skinny my whole life. I didn't weigh over a 100lb until I was 16. My dad is 5'9 and 145lb, my mom after 5 kids is 5'6 and 121lb. Even now 7 month after having a 9lb 4 oz baby I weigh 115lb (that's without dieting or exercising). All the other pediatricians said that's probably the explanation for my baby's weight now. Only serious answers please. Thank you for reading the entire question. One of the pediatrician's told me that if she hasn't pooped for a day than add a table spoon of Karo syrup to a bottle of her formula (once not like all of them) and she will poop (it works) but now I just use pear juice with some nursery water if she is constipated Best answer:
Answer by Jane
they are sending the nurse to you to check your home situation out and be sure that you are feeding the child properly. if you are doing what you should (and you seem to be) then don't worry. if the nurse says everything is ok at home, then maybe the doctor will take your concerns seriously and check deeper into your child's health issues. this is good for you and the baby.
Answer by Ethel
Yes they make knee pads. The truth is that even Karo syrup says not to give it to under 12 month olds, it may contain botulinum spores and cause her to have botulism. It's not food, it's not appropriate food, it's just sugar. While yes you are not taking care of your infant in an appropriate manner, it's not quite neglect - but the pediatrician is doing due diligence and making sure it doesn't become neglect due to ignorance on your part. I suggest you cooperate as much as yo ;u can, all they will do is work on proper nutrition for an infant, which you do seem to need help with, as long as you show you can care properly for an infant. It's not about her present weight, it's about what you reported doing for (and should not be doing).
Answer by G
If you are worried about a neglect claim as your title suggests, don't worry about it. I'm a social worker with CPS and the fact you are taking your child to the doctor and are monitoring the child's weight shows you are make a good faith effort. CPS will see that, so don't w orry about a neglect claim. I know it is a little scary at first when CPS arrives, but they will have no legal grounds to take your baby if your explanation above is honest. The most they will do is give you a number of a place that can help you out. If your Doctor is causing you a lot of anxiety, change your Doctor. Doctors are people too, they can be a real problem and they sometimes think they know everything. Find a doctor that will be willing to talk to you and that supports you. Also as a side note, if you want to protect yourself from legal problems - keep a journal. Just keep an ongoing journal of the babies weight and what you are doing. Judges love to see documentation and that will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt th&# 97;t you are doing the best you can for your child. Also Federal law mandates CPS only looks for "minimal level of care," that means what is the most you can't get away with before the child is in real danger. You don't even come close to breaking the minimum level of care.
Answer by Angie
It sounds like your doctor is a moron, find a different doctor.
0 comments:
Post a Comment