PREFACE

Fortunately, this is a problem that most homebirth parents do not have to worry as much about at the time of birth. Giving birth in your own home has added security measures that you will not find in birthing centers and hospitals, no matter how great their security measures may be. You know you will not have your baby switched, lost, taken out of your sight, or have any procedure done without your knowledge, because your baby is with you at home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You know all your visitors and your birth attendants. As a rule, we do not put announcements in the local newspapers and any publicity is kept within family members and selected friends. However, it is always wise to maintain precautions for newborn safety to prevent child abduction out of your home after the baby comes. But this is something, we as parents, must always concern ourselves about no matter how old our children become. For those parents opting for a non-homebirth, this article may prove to be very beneficial. - By MoonDragon Staff

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LOSS OF INNOCENCE
By E-Pregnancy.com

On Friday, June 12, 1992, I reported after work for my usual volunteer duty at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, California. I worked in the nursery as a 'cuddler,' holding and touching the ill and premature infants. Normally I signed in at the desk, entered the nursery, scrubbed in and then reported to the various nurseries to see who needed some TLC that day.

But that summer day was different. There was security at the nursery entrance and a stressed, hyper-aware atmosphere. Though it had only just hit the news, there had been an infant abduction that day. The nurses were nott really allowed to speak of the incident.

The next morning's paper carried the details: Jessica Mammini had handed her two-day-old daughter over to a kind woman who had introduced herself as a social worker. Jessica was told the baby needed to be weighed before financial aid could be approved. The woman then disappeared with 'Baby Kerri.'

The following September, a tip led police to Karen Lea Hughes, a woman who had apparently taken Kerri to soothe her upset over an earlier miscarriage. The baby was healthy and had been reasonably cared for and was returned to her frantic parents. In those few months, however, hospital nurseries nationwide wised up and implemented newer, more stringent security measures. (Hughes, sentenced to eight years in prison, served three before being released on parole in March 1997.)

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STOLEN BABY 'SAFE & WELL'
By News.Sky.com - Updated: 20:43, Sunday March 11, 2007

A three-day-old baby taken from a Texas hospital by a woman posing as a medical worker has been found safe and well. The woman dressed in hospital 'scrubs' before leaving with Mychael Darthard-Dawodu, police said. Baby Mychael Hospital CCTV showed her with a hood pulled around her head as she walked into the building in Lubbock. The kidnapper reportedly went into the mother's room several times before the baby was taken. She eventually claimed the baby needed treatment then walked off with her, a health official said. Hospital CCTV. Once found, Mychael was taken by police to Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis, New Mexico, where officers said she was in good condition. "We're ecstatic to be able to locate the child still in good health and to be able to reunite her with her mother," Lt Scotts Hudgens said. Mychael was wearing a monitoring device, but it was not clear if the device included a Global Positioning System beacon. The authorities said a 21-year-old woman was in custody in Clovis, which is about 100 miles from the Texas hospital.

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STOLEN BABY'S MOTHER OUT OF HOSPITAL
Kidnapper Took Week-Old Infant After Slashing Woman's Throat
By CBS NEWS: ST. CLAIR, Mo., Sept. 17, 2007

Seven-day old Abigale Lynn Woods was stolen after a woman slashed Abigale's mother's throat and fled with the Lonedell, Mo., infant. (AP/Franklin County Sheriff)

Search For Abducted Newborn - Stephanie Ochsenbine says a woman knocked on her door Sept. 15 asking to use her phone, then slashed her throat and took her baby. Julie Chen speaks with family members and Sheriff Gary Toelke.

(AP) A rural Missouri mother whose throat was slashed and her newborn baby kidnapped was released from a hospital as authorities said they found a knife on property near her home. A woman came to 21-year-old Stephanie Ochsenbine's home in the small town of Lonedell on Friday, attacked her with a knife and left with her week-old infant, Abigale Lynn Woods, officials said. Franklin County Sheriff Gary Toelke said authorities found a knife and other evidence near Ochsenbine's home, but would not give more details. Ochsenbine is not a suspect, Toelke said. The attacker was described as a white woman with black hair, 5-feet-8 and 200 pounds. She was believed to be armed. Ochsenbine helped police artists with a composite drawing of the kidnapper after leaving the hospital. The picture could be released Sunday, Toelke said. Fliers showing the baby, called "Abby" by her family, were posted in gas stations and restaurants in neighboring Union. The 6-pound girl, born Sept. 8, has dark brown hair, dark eyes and a strawberry birthmark on her forehead. People in the area, about 45 miles southwest of St. Louis, attended prayer services Sunday for Abby's safe return. Search dogs, Franklin County deputies, FBI agents and several Missouri National Guard members combed the area around the home for clues over the weekend. Callers continued to offer tips, Toelke said, but none led to a suspect. "Any lead is good, but so far there's nothing that has stood out," he said. "There's a lot of information we have, but nothing concrete." Ochsenbine told police she did not know the woman who came to her door Friday and entered the house after asking to use the telephone. Ochsenbine's 1-year-old son, Connor, also was in the house but was unharmed. Ochsenbine's boyfriend and Abby's father, James Woods, was at work. Authorities have asked hospitals and doctors to be on the lookout for anyone bringing in a newborn. The abductor has been profiled as someone who had a child die recently or as someone who could not have children, told people she was pregnant and needed to steal a child so her lie would not be found out. From 1983 to 2002, there were 217 reported cases of non-family infant abductions, and all but a few babies were recovered safely within 25 miles of where they had been taken, according to a 2003 study by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. About three-quarters of the kidnapped infants were recovered in fewer than five days. "We're hopeful that's the case," Toelke said.

The numbers According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), the number of infant thefts are conservatively estimated at between 12 and 18 per year. Add to that number the equally high-profile cases of switched infants.

Switched, Stolen, Black Market Babies & The Baby Brokers

Around The Nation: Baby Stolen at Hospital is Reunited With Family

Yahoo News: U.S. Baby Stolen From Womb - Said In Good Condition

OnlineNigeria.com: Shocking: 2-day-old Baby Stolen From Hospital

Amber Alert: 2 day-old baby stolen from Lubbock Hospital

Do an internet search for "stolen switched hospital babies" and you will get a huge number of reported cases.

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SAFETY TIPS FOR YOUR NEWBORN

Even one stolen or switched infant is too many. How can you protect your newborn? Here are some tips.

BEFORE BIRTH

Before delivering in a medical facility, take a tour or attend orientation so that you are familiar with the hospital or birth center and appearance of the staff. Before birth, take the time to inquire about nursery routines as well as security procedures. If you wait until you are in labor to become acquainted with these details, you may find it difficult to be very attentive to the finer points.

AFTER THE BABY IS BORN

Immediately after your baby is born, you, your baby and your partner/support person will receive matching identification bracelets. Personally verify that the bands have matching numbers and make sure your baby's band (usually around the ankle, or two bands, one each around ankle and wrist) is not loose enough to slip off. If you cannot keep your baby with you at all times, double-check these numbers to ensure they are the same.

Make a note of your baby's appearance and vital statistics: hair color and amount, weight, length, sex. Some hospitals take photographs of the baby shortly after birth. If they do not, have your partner bring in a camera and take pictures of you with your new baby.

If you cannot keep your baby with you at all times ('rooming in'), have your partner or another family member can accompany the baby to the nursery (where bathing and other examinations may take place). Someone you trust should be with your baby at all times.

WHEN BABY IS NOT IN YOUR ARMS

Never leave your baby unattended and alone if your room for even a minute. This includes while you take a nap, go to the bathroom or have a shower - if you or a family member cannot keep a constant eye on the baby, ask to have the baby taken to the nursery. While in your room, it is preferable to keep your baby on the far side of your bed, away from the door. When you have a lot of visitors, you may get distracted.

Do not give your baby to anyone without proper identification: usually a combination of attire and a hospital photo ID badge, and usually a separate badge identifying him or her as nursery staff. If you have doubts, trust your instinct and do not take chances - call the nursing station and ask someone on the staff to come in and verify. Do not feel as if you are being unreasonable: this is your baby, and you have the right, and responsibility, to protect your newborn. Never be afraid to question everything and everybody when it comes to your baby.

If anyone unfamiliar enters your room or asks about your baby, feel free to question them and satisfy yourself that they are on the hospital staff.

BEFORE LEAVING THE HOSPITAL

The hospital staff should check your matching ID bands before you are discharged, but take it upon yourself to again check your baby's ID bands for yourself. Look at the baby, for the features you first identified after birth: hair color and amount and weight and any other identifying characteristics. Also take a quick peek into the diaper to check gender, and whether or not the baby is circumcised. If you have photos, also use those to compare this baby to the one you delivered.

WHEN YOU ARE AT HOME

The risk of baby theft does not end when you leave the hospital: public birth announcements can trigger baby theft. That means: avoid the lawn signs, the 'It's a Girl!' balloons on the mailbox, and other banners announcing the new arrival. It is hard to contain your joy at having a wonderful new family member, so dispense that energy in other ways: hang the balloons and banners indoors instead.

Keep in mind that some hospitals provide information about new births to the local newspapers, or parents/family members supply the details themselves. Do not do this. Send out birth announcements to your friends, family and co-workers, but do not take unnecessary risks.

Take reasonable precautions. Do not leave windows open at night. Obtain a baby monitor and carry it with you at all times around your home when your baby is not present in the same room. Any service people or other strangers that enter your home, ask for their identification and verify who they are. While they are in your home, keep your baby with you at all times within your eyesight.

OUT IN PUBLIC & SHOPPING

If you go out shopping or out in public, do not ever leave your baby unattended at any time, even for a second... this goes for the car (such as while paying for gas, as an example) as well as inside stores or while at the park and playground.

If you are trying on clothing in a boutique, take the baby with you into the stall. If you are using a grocery cart, do not leave the baby unattended outside your line of vision, preferably within arms reach. If you forget an item in the checkout line, take your cart and your baby with you. Even a moment of inattentiveness can result in the loss of your baby. Be wary of strangers walking up to you and your baby. Baby snatchers come in all sexes, ages, and appearances.

AS YOUR CHILD GROWS...

As your children grow and become more independent, your diligence does not stop. A loss of a child is devastating to not only the child and parents, but other family members and friends. Teach your children well about strangers and what they should do if approached. Take an active part in their lives. Know where your children are at all times and with whom. Get to know their friends and their friends parents, as well as teachers and other people in their lives. Take photos frequently to keep an update picture of your child. Having them fingerprinted (either yourself or the local police station) can help with future identification purposes in the event that something happens. When they become old enough to begin using a computer, know what they are doing online and whom they are chatting with. For more information about child safety and stranger awareness, see the following link:

MoonDragon's Parenting Information: Internet Protection & Safety

YOU AND YOUR BABY

Like many things in life, the buck stops with you. It is up to you to be extra cautious, to make yourself aware of any potentially improper situations, and to listen to your intuition. It is worth it for the peace of mind, and besides, there is almost nothing else as wonderful bringing a new baby home (other than having it born at home to begin with!).

There is a big market out there for stolen babies and children and many strangers with many perverted or emotionally unstable needs. You need to watch out for your children at all times.

National Center For Missing & Exploited Children

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www.missingkids.com
Missing Kids: Massachusetts	Missing Kids: New Hampshire	Missing Kids: Vermont
Missing Kids: Maine	Missing Kids: Rhode Island	Missing Kids: Connecticut

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