Baby Pea released to parents
But couple file judicial protest against hospital staff
“Baby Pea’”, a newborn child placed under a care order last week after clashes between her parents and hospital staff over treatment, was yesterday released from hospital.
The hospital authorities said the baby was now in the care of the parents.
Earlier yesterday, however, Marissa Bose and David Ellul filed a judicial protest claiming they had been mistreated by staff during and after the birth of their daughter, whom they had nicknamed Baby Pea for now.
They claimed obstacles had been put in the way of the father seeing his child because he had taken a penknife into the hospital to peel fruit as he was vegetarian. Mr Ellul, they said, had to be escorted by a police officer if he wanted to see the baby.
The whole issue, they claimed, arose because of the penknife, which was allowed by law as it did not exceed a certain length. The father had been subjected to searches whenever he went to the hospital, something not permitted by law unless there was reasonable suspicion that a crime might be committed.
At one point they had wanted to take their baby out of the hospital because they were not informed their child had been taken to the Intensive Care Unit for an infection which, it later resulted, the baby didn’t have.
Mr Ellul also informed the court that he was allergic to the drug Augmentin but complained that this medicine was still given to the child.
His partner was also asked if he was an alcoholic and if he was aggressive and treated her badly, something which she denied.
When they asked for information from the hospital, staff said there was a court order in force which effectively stripped them of their parental rights. This order was imposed without the couple being notified or being given the opportunity to express themselves, they said.
Although Ms Bose was told she could go home, she had told the staff that she had the right to breastfeed her baby and therefore waited in the waiting room to do so.
When she told the staff what she was doing, she was told the problem was hers “not ours”.
The couple said they had the right to know the condition of their child, what suspicions about the child’s health existed and when there would be the final results of tests to ascertain her condition.
They are holding the hospital responsible for any damages.