Mother tries to kill 11 mo old in hospital

[WhiteShark]

http://www.wbtv.com/global/story.asp?s=9751179
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/597/story/501146.html
The mother apparently also kept a blog on caringbridge.org, but I can't find it now.

[WhiteShark]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking/story/501146.html

[Amy]

How sad for the family. I can't imagine the emotional and physical toll this has taken on the mom and dad.

Time to give my children an extra hug and kiss. And thank God for their health, as not all children and families are so fortunate.

[cantstandnuts]

http://www.wbtv.com/global/story.asp?s=9751179
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/597/story/501146.html
The mother apparently also kept a blog on caringbridge.org, but I can't find it now.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/alexastilwell

I was struck by the first entry in the journal. Mother says something like...How is anyone supposed to keep up with all this? Maybe she couldn't do it anymore. very sad.

[SKARDYKAT]

I couldn't get one of the articles. Would this a mercy killing? I surely can't see her wanting her child to die, but, simply to stop her suffering.

[mommyjosie]

Maybe soon we will see that this little baby is actually healthy, and that the mother has done things to disrupt her breathing all along, as she was caught doing twice in the hospital. This may very well be a case of Munchausin's (Not sure of the spelling),
But it's when a mother purposely keeps a otherwise healthy child ill by different methods in order to receive attention as a selfless caregiver........etc... Sure sounds like a text book case to me.....

[Aradia5]

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/alexastilwell

I was struck by the first entry in the journal. Mother says something like...How is anyone supposed to keep up with all this? Maybe she couldn't do it anymore. very sad.

Why doesn't she just give him up for adoption? It is very sad.

[cantstandnuts]

Maybe soon we will see that this little baby is actually healthy, and that the mother has done things to disrupt her breathing all along, as she was caught doing twice in the hospital. This may very well be a case of Munchausin's (Not sure of the spelling),
But it's when a mother purposely keeps a otherwise healthy child ill by different methods in order to receive attention as a selfless caregiver........etc... Sure sounds like a text book case to me.....

With Munchhausen by proxy, there isn't usually a firm diagnosis of a disorder. Doctors are generally puzzled as to what is causing the illness (with good reason since the parent is causing the problem.) In this case, the baby has an identified disorder that is causing her brain not to grow. I don't think the mother could have caused that. This is not a healthy baby to start with. She has Cerebral Atrophy, which is a horrible condition...how sad for that baby and her family.

I think it's far more likely that this mother either doesn't want her daughter to have to live with this horrific disorder or that she is completely overwhelmed and can't herself handle it.

IMO

[cantstandnuts]

Why doesn't she just give him up for adoption? It is very sad.

There's probably a lot of things going through this mother's mind. She's obviously not thinking rationally if she's tried smothering her baby. Besides that, there's a father in the picture...who knows? Did they discuss it and he won't hear of it?

[Santa'sMom]

Why doesn't she just give him up for adoption? It is very sad.

the baby probably only has a short time to live to begin with. add to that the fact that she is severely disabled and is only going to get continually worse. her chances of adoption would be slim to none. i think there is probably more to this story than what we are hearing. we can't know what we would do in that situation unless we were standing in her shoes. for all we know, the baby may be suffering terribly and she couldn't handle seeing her suffer anymore. my prayers to the entire family.

[mommyjosie]

Isn't the baby doing very well now, and still undergoing tests at the hospital? Has there been a firm diagnosis of the brain disorder yet?

[penguin01]

Maybe soon we will see that this little baby is actually healthy, and that the mother has done things to disrupt her breathing all along, as she was caught doing twice in the hospital. This may very well be a case of Munchausin's (Not sure of the spelling),
But it's when a mother purposely keeps a otherwise healthy child ill by different methods in order to receive attention as a selfless caregiver........etc... Sure sounds like a text book case to me..... I thought the hospital was clear that the diagnosis is Cerebral Atrophy at birth? Sounds awful - wouldn't that diagnosis mean the baby would be a vegetable all its life?

[mommyjosie]

So far, I see no firm hospital diagnosis.
There was another case where a poor child was hospitalized numerous times, had a diagnosis, and even underwent surgery, all the while, the mother stayed devotedly by her childs side, until she was caught suffocating her just enough to bring on those symptoms. I just can't see a mother suffocating her tiny daughter, more than once, but stopping in time for the child to live each time........ Of course, this is only my opinion; time will tell on this one.

[melanie78]

So far, I see no firm hospital diagnosis.
There was another case where a poor child was hospitalized numerous times, had a diagnosis, and even underwent surgery, all the while, the mother stayed devotedly by her childs side, until she was caught suffocating her just enough to bring on those symptoms. I just can't see a mother suffocating her tiny daughter, more than once, but stopping in time for the child to live each time........ Of course, this is only my opinion; time will tell on this one.


I agree! And her last entry in her journal about her having unknown bacteria in her blood...CLASSIC! That is when the mother puts feces in their feeding tubes. And she would have to smoother her to bring on the oxygen problems. Some of these children suffer through years of surgeries that weren't needed, if this is in fact what it ends up being, thank goodness it was caught this early! Maybe she missed the hospital attention she got from her being born early.

[LisaM22]

So far, I see no firm hospital diagnosis.
There was another case where a poor child was hospitalized numerous times, had a diagnosis, and even underwent surgery, all the while, the mother stayed devotedly by her childs side, until she was caught suffocating her just enough to bring on those symptoms. I just can't see a mother suffocating her tiny daughter, more than once, but stopping in time for the child to live each time........ Of course, this is only my opinion; time will tell on this one.

scary, mommy dearest in the flesh it sounds like

[cantstandnuts]

Maybe soon we will see that this little baby is actually healthy, and that the mother has done things to disrupt her breathing all along, as she was caught doing twice in the hospital. This may very well be a case of Munchausin's (Not sure of the spelling),
But it's when a mother purposely keeps a otherwise healthy child ill by different methods in order to receive attention as a selfless caregiver........etc... Sure sounds like a text book case to me.....

http://www.wbtv.com/global/story.asp?s=9751179

Maybe the news report is wrong, but from the link:

Scott Stilwell, who is Meredith's husband and Alexa's father, says Alexa has been in the hosptial six months out of the 11 she's been alive. She suffers from a brain development condition.

That brain development condition is Cerebral Atrophy according to the mother's blog. A mother can't cause that condition as far as I know.

I understand why you would suspect Munchhausen by proxy. It's not out of the realm of possibility. However, unless the diagnosis is wrong and she really doesn't have that condition, then my best guess is that this mother is cracking because of the condition and what she knows this probably means her child's life will be like.

This is only my opinion of course. All I know for sure is it's a sad thing when a mother tries to suffocate her child.

[Deb7]

I just did another search on this, and this article http://www.observernewsonline.com/content/view/85377/1/ (you have to scroll down a bit) says it has happened before.
I'm just wondering if she was given a diagnosis or if the mother just put that in the CaringBridge website herself without a diagnosis? Because it really does sound a lot like Munchausen's at this point.

Either way, I hope she gets the help she needs and I hopethis baby will get well soon.