This past weekend, another tragic incident of baby abandonment led to the needless death of a newborn whose mother gave birth at a party and dumped the child into the garbage. What makes this story even worse: the baby was put into the garbage steps away from a designated surrender site. In the interests of education and in the hopes of preventing such tragedy from occurring in future, here are the salient points of California's Safely Surrendered Baby Law:
1. What is the Safely Surrendered Baby Law?
It is a confidential way of safely surrendering a newborn to proper authorities, without penalty nor prosecution, within 72 hours of the child's birth.
2. Who can surrender the newborn?
The parents or legal guardians can surrender the infant at the designated surrender locations.
3. Where are the surrender locations?
Newborns may be taken to public or private hospitals, firestations, certain churches, and other locations indicated by the Safely Surrendered Baby sign affixed prominently.
4. What happens when the baby is surrendered?
When the newborn is safely surrendered at a hospital, there are no questions asked. The newborn is given medical treatment, placed in a foster home or pre-adoptive home. At the time of surrender at a hospital, the baby is tagged. The surrendering party is given an identical bracelet, in case they wish to become reunited with the child within fourteen days.
5. How much time is allotted if the surrendering party changes her/is mind?
From the time and date of the surrender to a full and uninterrupted fourteen days later is the time allotted to reunite with the baby.
6. What is the age of the child that is to be surrendered?
The scope of the Safely Surrendered Baby Law enables the parent/legal guardian of any newborn to surrender the child within three days of birth.
This, of course, does NOT mean that infanticide is in order if on the fourth day, the ninth day, the fiftieth day, etc. it is found that parenthood is too much to handle. In these cases, the best case scenario is to surrender the child(ren) to a hospital, fire station, police station, church, synagogue, mosque, social service agency....anyplace where they will be cared for and SAFE.
7. Why is this law useful?
No shame. No blame. No names. The baby is enabled to live free from the dangers of freezing to death, being attacked by wild animals, suffocation in a plastic bag, bleeding to death from internal injuries, etc. The parent is freed from criminal child abandonment charges and the legal prosecution that naturally attends. In addition, the parent is often reviled and shunned, especially in cases when the media is involved.
The focus of the Safely Surrendered Baby Law is to provide parents with a way to gracefully, sanely, and humanely give their newborn a chance a life while giving themselves the time and space necessary to wrestle with their inner turmoil. In view of this, it is urged that all who are involved with those who do not wish to accept the rigours of parenthood at this time, safely and securely surrender their child following these parameters.
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DOULA ANGELITA, San Jose's Community Doula, is a designated Baby Safe Haven Maven*TM. She works with parents where they are, has a wide variety of experiences, and is not interested in passing judgement, only at giving newborns a chance of life.
DOULA ANGELITA is a trident doula/parenting coach/nutrition guide/women's advocate who lives and works in sunny San Jose, CA but who answers the call of birth from wherever it comes.
DOULA ANGELITA can be reached: sanjosecommunitydoula@gmail.com, @sanjosedoula1=TWITTER
If you are thinking about abandoning your newborn, contact DOULA ANGELITA first.
Showing posts with label san jose community doula. Show all posts
Showing posts with label san jose community doula. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Monday, November 30, 2009
#Yoga108 today!
In a wonderful park, on this glorious day,
I lay out my mat, clearing my mind.
All stresses and troubles clouding my mind
banished, pushed to the edges.
Deep inhalations, deeper exhalations
aid the process.
Doubts have no place here.
Stretching my muscles
feeling the pull and expansion of tissues and sinews,
mind, body, soul working together
with purpose.
Doula Angelita, San Jose's Community Doula, is now welcoming clients for December. Please contact her: sanjosecommunitydoula@gmail.com and follow her on twitter: Twitter.com/sanjosedoula1
I lay out my mat, clearing my mind.
All stresses and troubles clouding my mind
banished, pushed to the edges.
Deep inhalations, deeper exhalations
aid the process.
Doubts have no place here.
Stretching my muscles
feeling the pull and expansion of tissues and sinews,
mind, body, soul working together
with purpose.
Doula Angelita, San Jose's Community Doula, is now welcoming clients for December. Please contact her: sanjosecommunitydoula@gmail.com and follow her on twitter: Twitter.com/sanjosedoula1
Friday, November 20, 2009
Thanksgiving Stress-busters
As we all know, the holiday season is almost upon us. Not only does this bring joy, but also stress, anguish and in some cases, depression. What can one do to avoid such negativity and to drink of the happiness nectar of the holiday season?
Give yourself time. Some people get so caught up in the whirl-a-gig momentum of the holidays that their feet never touch the ground. Set your own pace, go to the parties that you want to go to, if you are cooking a big Thanksgiving feast, give yourself full permission to recruit "volunteers" to help with the clean-up.
Keep yourself rested and relaxed. Easier said than done, naturally, but the important thing is to have a go-to strategy: yoga, turning off the "crackberry", putting your feet up on the hassock, a cool compress on the forehead.....
Hydrate, hydrate, and was it mentioned-hydrate? This is a crucial bit of advice which usually flies out of the window at the appearance of the first eggnog or mulled wine. Now, more than ever, keep that (recyclable, right?) bottle of water in your purse and sip,sip, sip, sip throughout the day, throughout the party, throughout the night, etc.
De-stress through defusing. If you know that you are going into a lion's den....don't. Unless you have an angel with a flaming sword to protect you, the stress and heartache is simply not worth it, whether it is a critical mother, inattentive father, loudmouth aunt or bothersome brother, ask yourself: what do you get out of this? Is your relationship any the better for your presence? If the answer is no, then gather together with friends who are really there for you. If that toxic co-worker gets started, walk away. It's the holidays; give yourself a treat.
Vegetables. If you have no other recourse, grab a case of V8 or your Jack Lalane juicer and get to work. Begin and end your day with V8(you can cut it with juice if you like; I use unsweetended apple juice or orange juice); you cannot go wrong and it may well be the one thing that turns out well during the holidays.
Keep up with exercise. Walking groups, yoga, bellydancing, karate, Total Body Sculpt with Gilad: it does not really matter what it is, just keep on schedule and keep moving to promote health and to detoxify the body, especially with rich holiday foods.
Keep sane, keep healthy and keep well during this Thanksgiving season.
May you be healthy, happy and sane during the holiday season! Thank you for your support!
Give yourself time. Some people get so caught up in the whirl-a-gig momentum of the holidays that their feet never touch the ground. Set your own pace, go to the parties that you want to go to, if you are cooking a big Thanksgiving feast, give yourself full permission to recruit "volunteers" to help with the clean-up.
Keep yourself rested and relaxed. Easier said than done, naturally, but the important thing is to have a go-to strategy: yoga, turning off the "crackberry", putting your feet up on the hassock, a cool compress on the forehead.....
Hydrate, hydrate, and was it mentioned-hydrate? This is a crucial bit of advice which usually flies out of the window at the appearance of the first eggnog or mulled wine. Now, more than ever, keep that (recyclable, right?) bottle of water in your purse and sip,sip, sip, sip throughout the day, throughout the party, throughout the night, etc.
De-stress through defusing. If you know that you are going into a lion's den....don't. Unless you have an angel with a flaming sword to protect you, the stress and heartache is simply not worth it, whether it is a critical mother, inattentive father, loudmouth aunt or bothersome brother, ask yourself: what do you get out of this? Is your relationship any the better for your presence? If the answer is no, then gather together with friends who are really there for you. If that toxic co-worker gets started, walk away. It's the holidays; give yourself a treat.
Vegetables. If you have no other recourse, grab a case of V8 or your Jack Lalane juicer and get to work. Begin and end your day with V8(you can cut it with juice if you like; I use unsweetended apple juice or orange juice); you cannot go wrong and it may well be the one thing that turns out well during the holidays.
Keep up with exercise. Walking groups, yoga, bellydancing, karate, Total Body Sculpt with Gilad: it does not really matter what it is, just keep on schedule and keep moving to promote health and to detoxify the body, especially with rich holiday foods.
Keep sane, keep healthy and keep well during this Thanksgiving season.
May you be healthy, happy and sane during the holiday season! Thank you for your support!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
BOLD RED TENT EVENT SAN DIEGO 2009
BOLD’S RED TENT EVENT SAN DIEGO!
A red tent…mother’s voices…intimacy…truth.
After BOLD’s(Birth On Labor Day) hugely successful RED TENT EVENT in 2006, the organizers thought: “Why not have BOLD RED TENT EVENTS around the world?”
BOLD is an organization that is dedicated to preserving women’s birth choices as well as their access to comprehensive medical care and treatment.
BOLD’S RED TENT EVENT concept is simple: gather women under a “RED TENT”(the safe space created by women for women)to listen to mothers’ birth stories and then record their stories in film, via written word or visual expression as part of BOLD’S LIBRARY OF BIRTH TRUTHS!
BOLD’S RED TENT EVENT SAN DIEGO is an excellent opportunity for showcasing community birth stories and resources.
For this reason, Doula Angelita of RESURGAM BIRTHINGWELL8899 is promoting this event as an opportunity for San Jose to shine by gathering a delegation of San Jose’s finest businesses together in an impressive display of the varied array of organizations working together for maternal-fetal health. In addition, Doula Angelita has already put in her bid for SAN JOSE to host a BOLD RED TENT EVENT in 2010, and this will be a nice way to pass the torch!
BOLD’S RED TENT EVENT SAN DIEGO will be held on 18 October 2009, at the La Jolla Women’s Club..
For more information, please contact Doula Angelita, promoter, at 408.890.6380, or at doula4hire@gmail.com, or Ms. Stephanie Entin, at 310.985.9985, or at stephanieentin@gmail.com.
A red tent…mother’s voices…intimacy…truth.
After BOLD’s(Birth On Labor Day) hugely successful RED TENT EVENT in 2006, the organizers thought: “Why not have BOLD RED TENT EVENTS around the world?”
BOLD is an organization that is dedicated to preserving women’s birth choices as well as their access to comprehensive medical care and treatment.
BOLD’S RED TENT EVENT concept is simple: gather women under a “RED TENT”(the safe space created by women for women)to listen to mothers’ birth stories and then record their stories in film, via written word or visual expression as part of BOLD’S LIBRARY OF BIRTH TRUTHS!
BOLD’S RED TENT EVENT SAN DIEGO is an excellent opportunity for showcasing community birth stories and resources.
For this reason, Doula Angelita of RESURGAM BIRTHINGWELL8899 is promoting this event as an opportunity for San Jose to shine by gathering a delegation of San Jose’s finest businesses together in an impressive display of the varied array of organizations working together for maternal-fetal health. In addition, Doula Angelita has already put in her bid for SAN JOSE to host a BOLD RED TENT EVENT in 2010, and this will be a nice way to pass the torch!
BOLD’S RED TENT EVENT SAN DIEGO will be held on 18 October 2009, at the La Jolla Women’s Club..
For more information, please contact Doula Angelita, promoter, at 408.890.6380, or at doula4hire@gmail.com, or Ms. Stephanie Entin, at 310.985.9985, or at stephanieentin@gmail.com.
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