Wis. mom accused in breast-feeding death

[guiseppewv]

A 4-month-old girl died when her inebriated mother fell asleep on top of her while breast-feeding, prosecutors said.

Lorinda Hawkins told police she fell asleep about 15 minutes after she started breast-feeding the baby Feb. 23 because of her intoxication, a criminal complaint said. When she woke up about an hour later, the baby was pale and wasn't breathing, the complaint said.

Hawkins was charged Friday with one count of child neglect causing a death. If convicted as a repeat felony offender, she could be sentenced to 29 years in prison and fined $100,000.

Defense lawyer Steven Smits asked for Hawkins' release on signature bond so she could enter substance abuse treatment, but she remained jailed late Friday on $7,000 bond. A preliminary hearing was scheduled Nov. 17.

The 27-year-old — who was on probation for child neglect — had consumed six double-shot alcoholic beverages at a bowling alley, the criminal said. A toxicologist estimated her blood alcohol level ranged from .15 to .27%.

Her husband drove Hawkins and their 4-year-old daughter to the bowling alley and later brought them home, then went out drinking himself, according to the complaint. The baby was unresponsive when he returned an hour later, the complaint said.

Hawkins was on probation for neglect of the same child, and was prohibited from drinking alcohol and from having unsupervised contact with all four of her children at once, court documents show.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-11-12-wis-mom-accused_x.htm

WTF??? :mad2:

[bachviet]

WTH is wrong with her? Shouldn't be breast-feeding when drinking alcohol. :2far:

[BigJon]

:stupid:

The human body is designed to keep this sort of thing from happening...of course, if you aren't intoxicated.

Idiot. :disa:

[MikeD]

Wish we could design some sort of common sense/IQ/intelligence test that one must pass before having children.

Actually, if you don't pass then you're sterilized. :thumbup:

Would certainly avoid situations like this one. Pretty sad...

[oblongmelon]

After spending so many years working the Neonatal/Maternity/Birthing Center units-I can assure you that some women do have breasts large enough to actually smother their infants...and I can also assure you they were the first to make the decision to go from breast to bottle before they left the hospital. Breast feeding is just not comfortable-especially to moms who are knew to it-and then to have to hold both your baby and your giant boob so that they latch on but don't smother at the same time is just freakin tiring..

[molecularfire]

Wish we could design some sort of common sense/IQ/intelligence test that one must pass before having children.

Actually, if you don't pass then you're sterilized. :thumbup:

Would certainly avoid situations like this one. Pretty sad...
Be careful, I have suggested these programs in the past and have been accused of supporting eugenics, of being a miserable human being, etc...

[dsuds]

Wouldn't alcohol be passed through the breast milk to the baby as well? The parents I know that breast feed always pump before going out to drink for just that reason.

:( Poor kid never had a chance... 2 obviously alcoholic parents, 1 already convicted of neglect (both should have been). Figures it was WI though. I lived there a couple of years (about 20 miles west of Oshkosh in fact) and it's definitely an alcohol based culture. The town I lived in had more than a dozen bars and a population of less than 3000.

[Mommypooh]

Wouldn't alcohol be passed through the breast milk to the baby as well? The parents I know that breast feed always pump before going out to drink for just that reason.

I have been breastfeeding for 2 1/2 years now and have been out to drink on a couple of occasions and I always wait the requirered two hours after the last drink to feed my babies. I don't pump and dump. It is a listed fact that you can drink and then feed the baby two hours later as it is filtered out by that time. I also don't go to sleep with the baby until well after I am no longer affected by the alcohol.

But then again I only ever have one maybe two drinks hear and there.

I am deeply sadden by the loss of the infant due to the parents stupidity. I think the children should have been removed from the home if she had already been probation for neglect of the same child, and was prohibited from drinking alcohol and from having unsupervised contact with all four of her children at once who was supposed to be making sure this was followed??? I think that person should be in trouble as well.

[zenbooty]

Wish we could design some sort of common sense/IQ/intelligence test that one must pass before having children.That would be a very socialist/communist kind of policy, as well as being steeped in Eugenics, as Molecularfire pointed out.

[LegendKiller]

Sad. People like this need to be locked up.

[brainsmile]

Sad. People like this need to be locked up.
and sterilized

[cheapie]

The human body is designed to keep this sort of thing from happening..


:spock:

[Mommypooh]

:spock:

The human body is designed to be aware of a small child or baby sleeping in the bed and to not roll over on it while sleeping. This is true except when Drugs of any kind legal or illegal, or alcohol is being used. Under normal circumstances it is a very safe to co-sleep with an infant.

Here are some sites that I recommend to read about co-sleeping
http://www.breastfeeding.com/reading_room/co_slepping.html
http://www.attachmentparenting.org/artbenefitscosleep.shtml
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T071000.asp

I hope this helps to clear up co-sleeping for someone.

[cheapie]

The human body is designed to be aware of a small child or baby sleeping in the bed and to not roll over on it while sleeping. This is true except when Drugs of any kind legal or illegal, or alcohol is being used. Under normal circumstances it is a very safe to co-sleep with an infant.

Here are some sites that I recommend to read about co-sleeping
http://www.breastfeeding.com/reading_room/co_slepping.html
http://www.attachmentparenting.org/artbenefitscosleep.shtml
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T071000.asp

I hope this helps to clear up co-sleeping for someone.


no offense but a bunch of stories about how it's so nice to have the baby sleep with you and how much easier they breath when next to you and....don't really show how the body is designed not to smother a baby.

i can respect your opinions but i can guarantee i'm not having my kids sleeping with us until they are two or three in an effort to keep them from feeling abandoned at night. i'll bet most of these people writing these journals haven't spent a night away from their kids in years.

[angl2b]

:eek2: sad that this happened - what is wrong with these ppl? :shrug: :(

[esme]

omg!! .....poor baby .....i agree that they should've taken them away instead of giving that lady a 2nd chance! .....and the dad ...what about him?!! .....he knew what was going on and decided that going out drinking and leaving her alone w/them was ok!! ......

makes me wanna go over and smack her right in the face :disa:

[esme]

no offense but a bunch of stories about how it's so nice to have the baby sleep with you and how much easier they breath when next to you and....don't really show how the body is designed not to smother a baby.

i can respect your opinions but i can guarantee i'm not having my kids sleeping with us until they are two or three in an effort to keep them from feeling abandoned at night. i'll bet most of these people writing these journals haven't spent a night away from their kids in years.


my daughter sleeps in my bed ....i am very cautious though ....i have my bed against the wall which is where she sleeps and i sleep on the other side. she has her own blanket and even if she moves an inch i can feel her and wake up right away.

i don't even move at night when she's in bed w/me .....just as i go to sleep i wake up .....same spot and everything