Karen (Baby aged 2 months, France)

Introduction

I became pregnant in quite a miraculous way, as I had been suffering from endometriosis for several years. Seven years earlier, I was diagnosed with difficulties conceiving and was told that if I didn’t have a child quickly, it would become very complicated. Ultimately, this pregnancy arrived unexpectedly and unfolded with great serenity.

The Pregnancy and Birth

My labor was extremely long. Gabrielle was in the occipito-sacral position, meaning her face was turned towards the stars. Her chin was raised, which prevented proper engagement in the pelvis. This type of presentation, which affects only about 5% of births, literally complicates labor and significantly extends its duration to 47 hours…

The use of forceps was eventually necessary to help her be born. At birth, Gabrielle had a serosanguineous bump already detected in utero, the mark of the forceps on her head, as well as dermabrasions on the scalp and a subconjunctival hemorrhage in her left eye.

The week spent at the hospital went smoothly. The day after delivery, the midwives who had accompanied me called me “the warrior mom.” No one really mentioned the use of forceps. We asked if the bump on Gabrielle’s head would disappear, if there was any risk, or if it could be dangerous or lead to complications. We were immediately reassured. The small injuries on Gabrielle quickly became a non-issue. The week went by serenely.

Gabrielle took to breastfeeding very well from the start. Breastfeeding was established without difficulty, and she soon began sleeping through the night. She regurgitated quite often, but according to the midwife, it wasn’t anything to worry about. I myself had been a baby who regurgitated a lot until diversification, so this didn’t alarm us. She also had a slightly larger head than average, but we were never worried: she was alert and pleasant, and all medical appointments confirmed that everything was fine.

We had noticed, however, that Gabrielle’s skin was very fragile and marked easily. This did not seem to worry the medical staff, who simply informed us that babies’ skin is delicate.

We agreed that I would stay with her during her early years. We were even considering moving to the mountains, a project close to our hearts. My partner had decided to sell his company in order to fully enjoy his daughter and watch her grow. At the time, we were full of projects, enthusiasm, and energy for the future.

The Day Everything Changed

One Sunday morning, towards late morning, Gabrielle started regurgitating much more than usual. This surprised us without alarming us, but we did notice that she was regurgitating more. In the evening, after a bottle feed, she regurgitated again. She seemed a bit dull, very pale, and calmer than usual. We spent the night this way.

During the night, she nursed as usual, but after nursing, she had a larger vomit than before. This time, I preferred to call the maternity ward, which advised me to go directly to Bordeaux CHU. I went without delay.

Upon arrival, Gabrielle’s head circumference had noticeably increased. She also had small bruises on her cheeks from kisses that were a bit too forceful, like when you “eat” a baby’s cheeks, and another bruise due to the use of an ill-fitting baby carrier. Her skin was particularly fragile, which I had already reported to the pediatrician and the midwife who came home.

One of the difficulties was that I explained the long and complicated birth I had experienced, but the medical report I could provide was surprisingly sparse: nothing of what actually happened was recorded. As a result, my testimony seemed out of sync with the medical file, which contributed to making me appear as someone exaggerating, lying, or trying to hide something.

We also discovered later that her pediatrician had never taken head circumferences during consultations. For the two and a half months following birth, only the measurement from the maternity ward was recorded. The lack of precise follow-up at this level also posed problems in understanding Gabrielle’s medical situation.

At the hospital, a series of tests were conducted on Gabrielle. I was told there was suspicion of shaken baby syndrome, so several investigations had to be carried out: MRI, eye fundus examination, and full-body X-rays to check for any possible fractures, retinal hemorrhages, or brain injuries.

A coagulation test was performed but it was limited because the medical staff couldn’t find veins and avoided further attempts; serology wasn’t extensive enough to exclude vitamin K control.

The results revealed no elements explaining the bruises. There were neither retinal hemorrhages, nor fractures, nor brain injuries: only subdural hematomas.

Despite this, a report was still filed. It is important to note that Gabrielle did not receive any treatment or special medical follow-up at the hospital; her vomiting had subsided on its own and her head circumference had decreased. We stayed for a week in the hospital without any specific care being put in place.

When the Diagnosis Fell

The report was filed. I was questioned for the first time. At the end of this interrogation, my partner was placed under arrest for forty-eight hours. After twenty-four hours, I was asked to return for an interview and was then also placed under arrest for twenty-four hours before being brought to Bordeaux court. We were both charged with voluntary violence against a minor under fifteen years old with prohibition from contact with my partner.

Following this, Gabrielle was placed in foster care. We couldn’t see our daughter for three weeks, and my partner for a month. It was an incredibly difficult ordeal: not knowing where she was, with whom, if she was okay, if she lacked anything, or if she wasn’t experiencing fear or confusion over the separation.

Faced with the slow legal procedures and the stagnation of the case, we decided to request a counter-medical expertise, which highlighted a pathology that clearly excluded shaken baby syndrome. What is particularly hard to bear is that once the diagnosis of “shaken baby” is made, no other differential diagnoses are really considered to understand what might have happened. And the right to health for a child is then violated. Since the case is still ongoing, I won’t elaborate further on this point.

However, we were fortunate enough that the Child Protection Services recommended an unconditional return home after two months of placement. Even though this recommendation wasn’t followed, we hope to be reunited with Gabrielle at the end of her six-month placement. In this misfortune, we have been lucky to receive good support from the Child Protection Services.

Living With Suspicion

We are struggling greatly with our separation from our daughter and the one imposed on our relationship. It’s a real ordeal, a profound sense of injustice and incomprehension. For my part, I am on long-term sick leave, unable to return to work, and I receive psychological support, as does my partner. All our energy is focused on one goal: getting our daughter back and proving our innocence. This situation destroys families and causes collateral damage for grandparents, friends, and close relatives. The ordeal is dizzying, both emotionally and financially, and it highlights significant flaws in the judicial, legal, and medical systems. We have been confronted with inconsistencies and totally absurd situations that should speak in our favor but unfortunately are not enough to exonerate us.

Our child has been stolen from us. Our family. All her firsts were taken away, our right to parenthood, my right to breastfeed my baby. Everything we’ve lost is gone forever. Those memories we didn’t get to be part of. Even if new ones will come and we recreate happy moments, this void, this shadow, will leave an indelible mark on our story.

I would like to thank the Adikia association, through which I understood that we were not alone in facing this ordeal. A special thanks to Alexandre who helped me get a golden lawyer and to all the volunteers, themselves victims, who provide invaluable support every day. Their help was a true breath of fresh air in this catastrophe.

For consistency across testimonies, this text may have been slightly edited or translated by artificial intelligence. If you notice any error or inconsistency, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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Marissa, USA

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Mark, UK

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Mary, UK

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Melanie, Canada

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Melissa, USA

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Virginie, France

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