Mom Charged for Drugged Breast Milk

Posted: January 20, 2003 at 9:02 a.m.

"PERRIS, Calif. (AP) -- Prosecutors have charged a 30-year-old mother of three with second-degree murder after investigators said her infant son died when he ingested methamphetamine through her breast milk.

The prosecution of Amy Prien for the death of 3-month-old Jacob Wesley Smith could lead to the first conviction of its kind in California, according to legal experts.

"She knew the drugs were dangerous, but it was more important to her to have the self-gratification," said Deputy District Attorney Michele Levine. "Responsibility for Jacob's death falls at her feet."" [An edited version of this story was also filed by AP with the unfortunate lead sentence: "Authorities in California are accusing a
woman of killing her son through her breast milk." - JC]

SoCal mom awaits trial after son ingests meth through milk"AP Wire | 01/20/2003 | Posted on Mon, Jan. 20, 2003


PERRIS, Calif. - Prosecutors have charged a 30-year-old mother of three with second-degree murder after investigators said her infant son died when he ingested methamphetamine through her breast milk.

The prosecution of Amy Prien for the death of 3-month-old Jacob Wesley Smith could lead to the first conviction of its kind in California, according to legal experts.

"She knew the drugs were dangerous, but it was more important to her to have the self-gratification," said Deputy District Attorney Michele Levine. "Responsibility for Jacob's death falls at her feet."

No trial date has been set, but authorities said they hope to begin next month. Prien faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted.

Prien has denied taking methamphetamine at the time of Jacob's death last year and said she is the victim of overzealous prosecutors.

"I'm not the person they say I am," Prien told the Los Angeles Times in an article published Monday. "And they know it."

Court documents alleged Prien, who is free on $100,000 bail, used a variety of drugs including PCP, LSD and methamphetamine.

"I never used speed when I was pregnant or when I was breast-feeding," Prien told detectives, according to court documents.

Prien said she believes a roommate may have been involved, although authorities said they have ruled him out.

"This has been very poorly handled," said Jacob's grandfather, Jack Haskins. "Amy is like any other kind of woman. She has her ups and downs. She's a little strong-willed. But she would never hurt those children."..."

'It's child abuse if you don't breastfeed'"

January 17 2003 at 01:56PM



By Patrick Leeman

Mothers, except those who are HIV-positive, who deliberately avoid breastfeeding their babies are guilty of "child abuse".

This is the view of Dr Neil Moran, chairperson of the Breastfeeding Committee of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Phoenix."

Moran, Sister Vanitha Naidoo, trainer and co-ordinator of the hospital's breastfeeding programme, and their team, recently won a "Baby Friendly" award from the World Health Organisation and United Nations Children's Fund.

This prestigious award is granted to only a few hospitals in South Africa, and is recognition by the organisations that the hospital has routines, policies and staff that support breastfeeding.

Mothers forced to send breast milk by mail RELATED LINKS"


19 January 2003
By DEIDRE MUSSEN

Increasing numbers of vulnerable premature babies are being shunted around the country because there is no room in hospitals.



One stretched Auckland hospital has even considered sending newborns to Australia in its search for hospitals to take the 20 mothers and babies it is transferring each month.

Hospital staff say the transfers cause stress to families, put babies' health at risk and can affect breastfeeding.

In one case, an Auckland mother had to courier her breast milk to Wellington after her premature twins were transferred because of hospital overcrowding.

Chris Rowe, 37, was left in Auckland when her 14-week premature twin sons were flown to Wellington Hospital due to staff and space shortages at the neonatal intensive care unit of Middlemore's Kidz First children's hospital.

"We sort of had them and the next minute, they are all off way down the other end of the country," she said.

Initially, Rowe had to stay on in Auckland to care for her two older sons, aged five and eight, but joined the babies in Wellington last week. Until then, she expressed breast milk and couriered it to her babies.

For the past 18 months Kidz First has transferred one baby a week to other neonatal intensive care units.

"It's just hopeless," said newborn special care clinical leader Dr Lindsay Mildenhall. "

"Breastfeeding is important and if your baby is 400 miles away, you're not going to breastfeed very well."