A married Texas couple is begging Child Protective Services to bring their newborn daughter home after the agency took her from their home.
CPS believes the couple improperly treated their daughter’s jaundice and questioned their ability to provide their little one with the love, care and support she needs.
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On March 21, Mila Jackson was born at Rodney and Temecia Jackson’s home, WFAA reported.
A licensed midwife facilitated the birth process, and at 6 pounds and 9 ounces, baby Mila couldn’t have been healthier.
Days after her birth, the Jacksons took Mila to the pediatrician for her standard newborn checkup. They got a clean bill of health from the nurse practitioner. But later that day, everything changed.
The Jacksons were confused when they received multiple messages from the doctor’s office. When they returned them, they learned Mila had jaundice and life-threateningly high levels of bilirubin — a substance made during the body’s process of breaking down old red blood cells.
WFAA reported Dr. Anand Bhatt, Mila’s pediatrician, wrote, “At a bilirubin over 20, a baby risks brain damage, because the bilirubin can cross the blood brain barrier.” Mila’s was 21.7.
Dr. Bhatt recommended the Jacksons take Mila to the hospital for phototherapy, a standard jaundice treatment. However, the Jacksons said they told the doctor they would treat Mila’s jaundice at home with their midwife’s assistance. Dr. Bhatt was skeptical, but the Jacksons assured him they would follow his instructions and supplement Temecia’s breast milk as recommended. They also shared their midwife’s contact information with Dr. Bhatt in case he wanted to verify their plan.
“Several hours later into the night, [Dr. Bhatt] texts my phone very aggressive — take her to the hospital or he’s calling CPS,” Temecia Jackson said of a message she received from the pediatrician, according to WFAA.
Dr. Bhatt contacted CPS, and in his letter to the agency, he explained he “filed a case report with CPS after trying 10 attempts to appeal to the family through phone calls, text messages and leaving voicemails as they did not pick up the phone.”
He added the Jacksons are “very loving and they care dearly about their baby,” but “their distrust for medical care and guidance has led them to decide for the baby to refuse a simple treatment that can prevent brain damage.”
“I authorized the support of CPS to help get this baby the care that was medically necessary and needed,” Dr. Bhatt wrote.
CPS decided taking Mila into custody was the appropriate action in this case.
“Due to the parents being unwilling to discuss the danger and potential consequences of this condition, it is necessary for the Department to intervene,” it wrote in a statement.
With the help of a local police officer and a court order, CPS took Mila from the Jacksons’ home on March 28.
“Unlawfully, [they] entered my home to take my baby from me,” Temecia Jackson said during a news conference earlier this week.
The Jacksons’ legal team said a big problem with the affidavit permitting CPS to take Mila is it doesn’t list Temecia as Mila’s mother. Instead, another woman, with a different name and history of child neglect, has been noted as Mila’s mother.
“Instantly, I felt like they had stolen my baby as I had had a home birth, and they were trying to say my baby belonged to this other woman,” Temecia, who has no criminal record, said.
It’s been a harrowing few weeks for the Jacksons, who are doing everything possible to bring their baby girl home.
“We’ve been treated like criminals — and that’s far from the truth,” Rodney said. “This is a nightmare I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”
