| Safety Tips for Expectant Parents
Personnel in healthcare facilities and at prenatal visits should remind
parents, in a warm and
comforting way, of the measures they should take to provide maximum child
protection. The
guidelines listed below provide good, sound parenting techniques that
can also help prevent
abduction of infants while in the healthcare facility where the baby
was born and once the parents
take the baby home. They should be shared with expectant parents at prenatal
visits, during the
tour of the facility pre-delivery, and during the parents stay at the
time of birth.
Please note in many cases of infant abduction, the abductor was bilingual
while the victim
mother was not. Healthcare facilities need to provide multilingual-educational
information to these
parents because infants’ risk levels of abduction are substantially
elevated when parents are not
properly educated in their native language about the safety issues involved.
The Spanishlanguage
version of these prevention tips is also available, and healthcare facilities
should consider
translating these tips into any other languages used by patients in their
service area.
FACILITY 1.
At some point before the birth of your baby, investigate
security procedures at the facility where you plan to give birth to your
baby and request a copy of the facility’s written guidelines
about procedures for “special care” and security procedures
in the maternity ward. Know all of the facility’s procedures
in place to safeguard your infant while staying in that facility.
FACILITY 2.
While it is normal for new parents to be anxious, being deliberately
watchful over the newborn infant is of paramount importance.
FACILITY 3.
Never leave your infant out of your direct, line-of-sight even when
you go to the restroom or take a nap. If you leave the room or plan
to go to sleep, alert the nurses to take the infant back to the nursery
or have a family member watch the baby. When possible, keep the infant’s
bassinet on the side of your bed away from the door(s) leading out of
the room.
FACILITY 4.
After admission to the facility, ask about the facility’s protocols
concerning the routine nursery procedures, feeding and visitation hours,
and security measures. Do not hesitate to politely ask direct questions
and settle for nothing less than an acceptable explanation.
FACILITY 5.
Do not give your infant to anyone without properly
verified identification as issued by that facility. Find out what additional
or special identification is being worn to further identify facility
personnel who have authority to transport the infant. Speak to a person
in authority (e.g., unit director, charge nurse) if you have any questions
or concerns. Be sure everyone who is helping you watch your infant while
you are in the facility understands these safeguards and does not release
your infant to any unauthorized person.
FACILITY 6.
Become familiar with the staff members who work in the maternity unit.
During short stays in the facility, ask to be introduced to the nurse
assigned to you and your infant.
FACILITY 7.
Question unfamiliar persons entering your room or inquiring about
your infant—even if they are in the facility’s attire or
seem to have a reason for being there. Immediately alert the nurses’
station.
FACILITY 8.
Determine where your infant will be when taken for tests, and how
long the tests will take. Find out who has authorized the tests. If
you are uncomfortable with anyone who requests to take your infant or
unable to clarify what testing is being done or why your infant is being
taken from your room, it is appropriate to go with your infant to observe
the procedure. Or if you are unable to accompany your infant, have a
family member go along.
FACILITY 9.
For your records to take home, have at least one color photograph
of your infant (full, front-face view) taken along with footprints and
compile a complete written description of your infant including hair
and eye color, length, weight, date of birth, and specific physical
characteristics.
FACILITY/HOME 10.
At some point after the birth of your baby, but
before discharge from the facility, request a set of
written guidelines about the procedures for any follow-up care extended
by the facility that will be scheduled to take place in your home.
Do not allow anyone into your home who says he or she is affiliated
with the facility without properly verified identification as issued
by that facility. Find out what additional or special identification
is being worn to further identify those staff members who have authority
to enter your home.
FACILITY/HOME 11.
Consider the risk you may be taking when permitting your infant’s
birth announcement to be published in the newspaper or online. Birth
announcements should never include the family’s home address and
be limited to the parents’ surname(s). In general, birth announcements
in newspapers are not endorsed by most experts.
Use caution in creating websites for your infant or posting photographs of your infant on
websites. When doing so limit access to those you know personally and trust. To limit
anyone elseâs potential misuse of a photograph of your infant, carefully consider anyoneâs
request to take a picture of your infant and only share photographs of your infant with
those you know personally and trust.
HOME 12.
The use of outdoor announcements such as signs, balloons, large floral
wreaths, and other lawn ornaments are not recommended to announce a
birth because they call attention to the presence of a new infant in
the home.
HOME 13.
Only allow persons into your home who are well-known by the mother.
It is ill advised to allow anyone into your home who is just a mere or
recent acquaintance or known only online such as in social-networking
websites, chatrooms, and forums, especially if met briefly since you
became pregnant or gave birth to your infant. There have been several
cases where an abductor has made initial contact with a mother and infant
in the healthcare-facility setting and then subsequently abducted the
infant from the family home. If anyone should arrive at the home claiming
to be affiliated with the healthcare facility where the infant was born
or other healthcare provider, remember to follow the procedures outlined
in number 10 above. A high degree of diligence should be exercised by
family members when home with the infant. The bottom line is, the infant’s
family is
the domestic security team, and all family members should be sensitive
to any suspicious visitors.
PUBLIC PLACES 14.
If you must take your infant out, whenever possible, take a trusted friend or family member
with you as an extra set of hands and eyes to protect and constantly observe the
infant. Never leave a child alone in a motor vehicle. Always take the child with you. Never
let someone you donât know pick up or hold your child. There have been cases in which
initial contact with a mother and infant was made in other settings such as shopping
malls or bus stations.
These tips are excerpted from For Healthcare
Professionals: Guidelines on Prevention of and Response to Infant Abductions.
Copyright © 2009 National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
All rights reserved. |
Privacy Policy
