MD - Kloe Lewis, 6 mos, strangled, Baltimore, 13 Oct 2010

Belinda

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updated 10/15/2010 11:46:10 PM ET 2010-10-16T03:46:10

BALTIMORE — WBALTV.com

Baltimore city police said a father killed his 6-month-old daughter because she wouldn't stop crying.

Police said Timothy Lewis, 20, called 911 at 11 p.m. Wednesday because his daughter, Kloe, wasn't breathing.

When officers arrived at the home in the 3800 block of Glengyle Avenue, between Park Heights Avenue and Reisterstown Road, Lewis told police that he'd walked into the baby's room and found her not breathing in her crib.

The girl was rushed to Sinai Hospital, where she died shortly thereafter.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39693933
 
:doh:Again. Can't they just close the door or turn the TV up?

Poor little girl.
 
It never has, and never will make sense to me how people think that inflicting PAIN upon a child will stop them from crying. Do they really not get that pain will just cause more crying?! Rest in peace little one.
 
Was this man required to watch "The Period of Purple Crying"? If not, WTH not? It's required at most hospitals and home births now. It teaches a simple curriculum:

STOP!! And just walk away.

Here's a local article about it but there's lot of info about it on a national level too. Call and check your local hospitals and see if they have the videos. If they don't, find out why. It is just, if not more, as important as that 10 minutes talk families receive about carseat safety and the "Back to Sleep" approach--about never putting babies on their tummies unless they are awake and supervised to prevent SIDS.

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100426/NEWS/4260308


Why isn't this taught in every middle school in the land, and then again in high school, and then again before you take your baby home. Why?? It truly saves lives.
 
I really dont understand. how hard can it be to find some headphones? we certainly see enough parents who put the headphones on til their baby starves to death so it can obviously be done.

NOT that I condone starving or neglecting a child of course. but if some types can totally ignore a baby til it dies, then certainly more people could leave the child in a safe place while they cool down in another room. with headphones.
 
Was this man required to watch "The Period of Purple Crying"? If not, WTH not? It's required at most hospitals and home births now. It teaches a simple curriculum:

STOP!! And just walk away.

Here's a local article about it but there's lot of info about it on a national level too. Call and check your local hospitals and see if they have the videos. If they don't, find out why. It is just, if not more, as important as that 10 minutes talk families receive about carseat safety and the "Back to Sleep" approach--about never putting babies on their tummies unless they are awake and supervised to prevent SIDS.

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100426/NEWS/4260308


Why isn't this taught in every middle school in the land, and then again in high school, and then again before you take your baby home. Why?? It truly saves lives.

Phenomenal website. You are so right, it should be mandatory to watch/read before you leave the hospital. As a mom, I totally understand how it can get to you and take you to a place where you just want to cry with them because it's so frustrating. But you walk away.. Just walk away. Those poor babies.

I wish there would be public service announcements with this website.
 
IF you need to read an article to know you never strangle your child, then you should never reproduce.Hopefully someone bigger and stronger then him will strangle him in jail I hope.
 
MMM--I agree that some people should never have children. However, with all due respect, I don't agree that if you need a manual to tell you not to shake or strangle a baby in rage and desperation, that you shouldn't be parenting. I think these issues MUST be addressed with parents in an educational manner as most are shocked and ashamed and confused when they do feel rage against their child. I think many parents would never dream that they would hurt their child. I think that often a cascade of things happen--financial stressors, domestic violence, illness, lack of sleep, drug use or lack of appropriate drug use, a very cranky or unwell baby, and so on.

A baby who is crying uncontrollably for hours on end--and not just crying, but shrieking--can send even fine parents or caregivers over the edge. Thankfully most people can stay calm, ask a family member or friend to spell them, or step outside for a breath of fresh air. But in the moment, that's not so easy.

I have to say that, calm as I am, baby-shaking type violence is the one and only crime I actually do understand on a visceral level. I have felt that overwhelming sense of ineptitude with drug-exposed infants and with my granddaughter who has autism. These were children who literally fought tooth and nail to get out of your arms, while crying this shrill cry and attempting to bite. I learned to swaddle them and wrap them tight in slings so they couldn't thrash and fight. It was helpful to get them away from my face and ears and yet important that they could feel my movement and warmth and hear my soothing sounds.

As a Mimi, I've gotten up in the middle of the night and driven across town to take a baby while a sobbing new mom and dad went for a walk at 4 am. Not everyone is gifted with a calm nature. Not everyone has family nearby to watch and be ready to jump in to help at a moment's notice.

I think cases like this are overwhelmingly sad as they really could be prevented. I think almost every single person who commits this crime is shocked at what they've done and remorseful within seconds. They just want the baby to stop screaming. They did not mean to shake or strangle the life out of the child. For a few seconds, they allowed their reptilian brain to take over.

A little bit of education goes a long way. We learned how to put on seat belts. We learned what happens if you don't. JMO
 
MissIzzy, I 100% agree with you. I don't think most people who abuse their newborns/babies even thought about that the day they brought the baby home. A crying infant, crying for hours non-stop, can overwhelm someone. Compound that feeling if it's gone on and on for weeks - lack of sleep, feelings of despair, and the inability to escape that could lead someone to snap. Maybe some of these new parents don't realize this can be "normal" and weren't prepared for it.
 
Bless you BrownRice. It's a very healthy, normal and understandable response. We have to validate the feeling of being overwhelmed and teach, really teach the steps to follow when it happens. Parents and caregivers have to totally grasp that the baby's very life lies in their hands. Infants and children are typically so resilient. In this one instance, they are not. They are utterly vulnerable. IMO, we need to start very very early in teaching these important lessons.

Thank you.
 
I agree with both of you. My daughter cried non-stop almost for literally 6 months. I thought I was going to lose my mind. No sleep. Trying to work a job. I did get respite as my parents were very good about taking her when needed. It was truly the most difficult time of my life and I can easily see how some parents lose it. My pediatrician knew this was happening to me, but never offered a scintilla of advice for helping me cope. We didn't have the internet then, so my husband and I were pretty much on our own. We lived in a very small 2 bedroom apartment so there was no where to go to get away from the screaming. Quite frankly, it is the sole reason I never had another child. I knew I could never do that again. I wish so much that I had received education on ways to deal with the situation better. I was a train wreck. We made it though. Thank God. I was so tightly wound during that period I can see myself doing something rash, although I didn't and I adore my daughter more than anything.
 

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