“Teen Deemed 'Not Bright Enough' to Keep Baby - MyFox Phoenix” plus 4 more

Teen Deemed 'Not Bright Enough' to Keep Baby - MyFox Phoenix
Glow Baby Introduces "Baby’s First Journal" – A Baby Care Journal ... - PR.com
Baby boomers are a budget buster - Woodbury Bulletin
Our ailing health care No room at LGH to treat baby in cardiac arrest ... - Tasmanian Examiner
Baby hurt; aunt faces charges - CharlotteObserver.com

Teen Deemed 'Not Bright Enough' to Keep Baby - MyFox Phoenix

Posted: 20 Oct 2009 10:37 AM PDT

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - Scottish teen Kerry Robertson, who is pregnant and has mild learning difficulties, was told by social workers this week that they believe she is not intelligent enough to care for her baby and that the child will be taken from her shortly after birth, the Telegraph reports .

Last month, Robertson, 17, was prevented from marrying her fiance Mark McDougall, 25, after officials claimed that she "did not understand the implications of getting married."

Scottish law states that a registrar may refuse to marry a couple if they believe one or both parties lack the mental capacity to understand what the institution of marriage is about.

Robertson is due in January and has been told that she will only be allowed a few hours with her baby, who she has already named Ben, before he is taken into foster care.

The couple is distressed over the news that they won't be able to raise their child.

"I couldn't believe it. I am so upset. I can't stop crying," Robertson said.

McDougall said he'd like to take on full responsibility for his son but claims that he is powerless because he and Robertson are not married. "Social Services are ruining our lives. As we are not married -- because social workers would not let us marry -- it seems I have no rights as a dad at all," he explained. "We feel helpless."

Robertson's grandmother has offered to raise the child, but McDougall said social services said it is unlikely the grandmother's application for custody will be accepted.

Stephen Moore, the council's executive director of social services, said, "Much of the work we do is governed by legislation. Complex decisions are made that balance risk and welfare while supporting people at times of personal or family need. We will always work with people for the best outcome for all involved."

In May, Rachel Pullen, a 24-year-old mother from Nottingham, England, claimed her 3-year-old daughter was taken away from her by social services when the child was just 6 months old because officials said she was "too stupid" to care for the child. Pullen is fighting the decision in the European Court of Human rights.

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Glow Baby Introduces "Baby’s First Journal" – A Baby Care Journal ... - PR.com

Posted: 14 Oct 2009 06:08 PM PDT

Toronto, Canada, October 14, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Glow Baby is proud to announce the publication of "Baby's First Journal" a baby care log book. Parents can use this journal to track the feeding (bottle and breast), sleeping and diapering of their newborn. In addition, check boxes enable parents to keep track of daily vitamins and baths and notes sections provide room for jotting special moments or questions for the paediatrician.

Glow Baby founder, and Toronto mom, Lindsay Harris created this book after having her two young children and being frustrated by not finding a journal to meet her needs. After Lindsay's eldest daughter lost over 10% of her body weight in the hospital, Lindsay needed to keep track of feeds and diapers to ensure her daughter was getting enough nourishment through breastfeeding. After the birth of her second daughter, Lindsay found tracking helpful as it became harder, while sleep-deprived, to remember all the important details.

"Baby's First Journal" was developed to meet parent's specific needs. Savvy mom friendly, the design of the journal is sophisticated and comes in three colour options: chocolate and pink, chocolate and blue and chocolate and green. Conveniently sized 5.5 x 7.5 inches, "Baby's First Journal" easily fits into a diaper bag or purse. Portability is key as the journal must be able to travel with mom/caregiver and baby everywhere. Another important feature is the coil binding which allows for lie flat use so entries can be made when only one hand is free.

Lindsay explains, "'Baby's First Journal' helps bring back a sense of control during the chaotic first few months with a newborn. It helps parents get to know their baby and anticipate their newborn's needs. It can also assist in recognizing emerging schedules." Lindsay further noted, "this journal is useful for passing information between parents and caregivers and answering questions from paediatricians at doctor visits."

"Baby's First Journal" can now be found in stores across North America or can be purchased online at www.glowbaby.ca.

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Baby boomers are a budget buster - Woodbury Bulletin

Posted: 20 Oct 2009 09:04 AM PDT

ST. PAUL -- Baby boomers are beginning to retire, and their need for more health care is a main reason Minnesota's state budget looks bleak for years to come.

"We are facing a significant long-term budget problem," State Economist Tom Stinson told a House-Senate committee Monday.

Stinson called the situation "not sustainable."

State Demographer Tom Gillaspy warned that the first wave of baby boomers will be eligible for Social Security in 2011, the first of at least 15 years of a huge population shift.

"We will see very large increases of people in their 50s and 60s and fewer people in their peak earning years," Gillaspy said, indicating that fewer taxpayers will be available to fund health care the new elderly need.

Gillaspy said that as the size of the workforce shrinks, Minnesota's only option will be "to increase how much everybody does in the workforce."

In an interview, Gillaspy and Stinson explained that Minnesotans do not need to work longer hours; they need to take advantage of new technology and other ways to increase production. That is what has happened in farming, Gillaspy said.

The discussion came as the joint legislative committee began to look at ways to deal with increasing budget problems, and ahead of a meeting this morning of Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Democratic legislative leaders.

Pawlenty called the meeting to begin groundwork for the 2010 legislative session that begins Feb. 4.

Legislative fiscal analysts Monday predicted that the deficit for Minnesota's next budget, which begins July 1, 2012, could top $7 billion in a budget that could be more than $38 billion.

While the recession's impact will continue to keep tax revenues down, the big change in the next few years will be a demand for more health spending, Stinson and Gillaspy said.

In a couple of years, 50,000 to 60,000 Minnesotans a year will turn retirement age, Gillaspy said, with the number rising to 70,000 to 80,000 annually in the next decade and a half. At the same time, fewer Minnesotans will be in the state's workforce, so there will be fewer taxpayers.

It's a story Stinson and Gillaspy have told to anyone who would listen since the mid-1990s.

"It's beginning to sink in a bit," Gillaspy said, adding that the problem is "a slow train wreck."

Many rural counties already have experienced problems with an aging population, the demographer said, but suburban and exurban counties will fight it in coming years.

Stinson said the fiscal answer is like what has happened in years past: "Replacing the buggy whip with fuel injection systems."

However, Gillaspy and Stinson stop short of telling lawmakers how to spend money to improve productivity.

Still, Stinson did some advice: "You can't place all your bets on one particular thing." He also said Minnesota will have to spend money to get to the next stage of worker productivity.

Davis works for Forum Communications, which owns the Woodbury Bulletin.

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Our ailing health care No room at LGH to treat baby in cardiac arrest ... - Tasmanian Examiner

Posted: 20 Oct 2009 06:19 AM PDT

A FIVE-WEEK-OLD baby in cardiac arrest and a dying Campbell Town man are among the latest casualties of Northern Tasmania's overcrowded hospitals.

Yesterday, Midlands doctors were shocked to learn they could not admit patients, including 80-year-old Ross resident Allan Pearce, who needs palliative care.

At the Launceston General Hospital, during another stretched weekend, a five-week- old baby went into cardiac arrest waiting for treatment in the hospital's emergency department.

Because the department's only (two) resuscitation beds were already occupied, the medical team brought the baby back to life on a trolley alongside the specially equipped beds.

"What are we meant to do?" a despairing staff member who did not want to be identified said.

Adding to the LGH's problems is a hospital outbreak of gastroenteritis, which sees a 32-bed ward closed to isolate affected patients.

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Baby hurt; aunt faces charges - CharlotteObserver.com

Posted: 20 Oct 2009 11:13 AM PDT

A three-month-old girl in Kannapolis is hospitalized with multiple injuries and authorities say they have arrested the child's aunt.

The baby suffered a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain and bruising on the back, head and leg and those injuries occurred when the suspect was "providing care for the child as the Aunt," according to an arrest report. The baby is currently hospitalized at Carolinas Medical Center NorthEast.

Police began their investigation and say they found enough evidence to charge the baby's 23-year-old aunt.

An arrest report states that police believe Sandra Gallardo Petatan did "unlawfully, willfully and feloniously" cause serious injury to her niece at Petatan's Kannapolis apartment.

Petatans husband says his wife would never have intentionally hurt the baby and says it was an accident.

The husband tells NewsChannel 36 Petatan put the baby in a baby seat on the couch, but didnt buckle her in. The baby started moving around and fell out of the seat, off the couch and hit her head on the floor causing the injuries, according to the husband.

A neighbor of the suspect told NewsChannel 36 that she saw three police officers take Petatan away on Saturday. She said the woman had two children with her, but wasn't sure if they both where her children.

Outside Petatan's Kannapolis apartment complex another learned about the charges.

"She watches my children," said the woman who asked not to be identified. "I would never think something like this (could) happen... It's such a shock."

At this time Petatan in being held in the Cabarrus County Jail on $200,000 bond.

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