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“A little back story, my labor and delivery was VERY rough with Cohen. I labored for 17 hours and was very close to a C-section. Also, at 3 weeks old, we had an accident at home where Cohen’s face/head hit the side of his bassinet hard, immediately bruised and we took him straight to the ER where we were told ‘accidents happen, no scans are needed, your baby is fine.’
Our story: On Sept 8, 2021 our lives changed forever. It truly is a day we won’t ever forget. After an appointment with Cohen’s cardiologist, he was a little concerned with the size of Cohen’s head at only 3 months, but told us not to be alarmed. He scheduled us for an ultrasound. About 30 minutes after the appointment I received a call from Cohen’s cardiologist, 'Mrs. Tedford, it appears your son has a brain bleed, I think we need to get a CT immediately, please go to the ER and I will let them know you are coming.' My heart dropped, how did this happen? He’s a normal, happy, 3 month old.
At the ER, Cohen was immediately taken for a CT. Shortly after, the radiologist came in and said Cohen had a slow bleed that seemed old (my thoughts immediately went back to our accident at home in June) but he didn’t think surgery would be necessary; however, it wasn’t his call so he was bringing in a neurosurgeon to consult and read over the scans. The neurosurgeon told us Cohen needed surgery IMMEDIATELY. He would be more than happy to operate, but wasn’t sure if he had a CRNA that would operate on a baby as young as Cohen and asked if we wanted to continue the surgery at that hospital. My husband, Blake, and I politely declined and asked if we could be transferred to a children’s hospital, preferably Le Bonheur. The doctor told us he would get it arranged and we would be transported by ambulance. At this point, I felt it would be best if I went home to pack necessities while Blake finished up paper work.
Fast forward 40 mins, I’m heading back to the hospital when I get a phone call from Blake who is HYSTERICAL saying the hospital loaded Cohen up on the helicopter and left without telling Blake where he was going. Blake was not allowed to go and as soon as he stepped out of the ER room, CPS was there to question him all while he had NO IDEA where our son was going. After getting no answers from anyone Blake tracked down the nurse supervisor who then told him Cohen had been flown to Jackson. When I finally made it back to the hospital to pick up Blake and head to Jackson, I had a phone call from a CPS worker stating that our daughter, Cullen Claire, was immediately being placed on a safety plan and would be staying with my parents until further notice. I had no idea what a safety plan was nor did I have any idea the nightmare that was about to unfold.
We finally arrived in Jackson and were told by staff that Cohen was in the ER. Once we spoke to the nurse (every single nurse at Batson’s Children’s hospital is a literal God send) she informed us that no beds were available in step down or PICU and we were stuck in the ER for now. She also informed us that the hospital was never notified by Tupelo that Cohen was even coming. It took them an hour to even figure out who he was and where he came from. In all honesty, the next two weeks were sort of a blur. We were informed that Cohen had a tiny skull fracture as well (all I could think about was June). On day five, Cohen had surgery. Our neurosurgeon was amazing. He even called me from the operating room to let me know the blood on Cohen’s brain was in fact, old blood and he felt confident that the burr holes would relieve the pressure and drain all the blood off of our sweet boy’s brain.
While still in surgery, we were greeted by the hospital’s (the states ONLY) child abuse pediatrician who was far from friendly. He asked 10000 questions (yes it’s his job, but, we’re NOT child abusers). I began to tell him about my delivery with Cohen and the accident in June. He bluntly stated “neither of those impress me” and laughed. I’d never felt so humiliated in my life. We were sitting before a group of people who thought we seriously abused our children. OUR BABIES.
Back home, my mom is dealing with our caseworker who is demanding X-rays of Cullen Claire and a full work up from our pediatrician. My mom took CC to see our pediatrician who was adamant that she would not do x-rays on a 3 year old and knew Cullen Claire was a perfectly happy, healthy 3 year old.
Cohen came out of surgery as good as expected. On September 21st we were informed by hospital staff (in front of 8 students) that our baby boy would not be coming home with us as the child abuse pediatrician had ruled Cohen’s injuries “non accidental trauma/child abuse”. Y’all. I met God that day. On my knees. In a hospital bathroom floor. I begged and prayed that if He saw us through this I would advocate as hard as I could for other families in our shoes.
On September 22, CPS met us in Jackson and informed us that Cohen was being removed from our home and being placed in foster care and would be leaving the hospital with our caseworker. Thankfully, both of our children were placed with family. Mind you, the caseworker left with Cohen from the hospital an hour and a half before Blake and me and didn’t make it to my MILs until 2 hours AFTER Blake and I had already been home. FOSTER CARE. FOR SIX MONTHS MY CHILDREN WERE IN THE SYSTEM. SIX. MONTHS. Six months of pure HELL. Six months of court dates. Some wins. Some losses. BUT SIX MONTHS OF STILL BEING A FAMILY AND LOVING OUR CHILDREN ENDLESSLY.
I consider Blake and I lucky. At least we had unlimited visitation (no overnights, always supervised) as many of the other families in our shoes are facing criminal charges, no visitation, and non family foster care.
As our story was just unfolding, Texas was making big moves. Laws have changed because so many families have been broken due to child abuse pediatricians removing NON ABUSED CHILDREN from homes!!
Today I’m thankful for reunification and a God that prevails. Even in my darkest moments a whisper of “I’m still here”. I’m thankful for friends and family that never gave up on us and helped us see the light at the end of the tunnel, for the hundreds of people (some that I’ve never met) that prayed us through this storm. For the fractured families just like us that reached out and shared their stories with us. For a lawyer that believes in justice. My heart breaks for the amount of families all over the country going through a similar situation. Medical kidnapping is REAL.”
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