Hospital Discharges Unstable Mother of Twin Infants

Case Overview

This case involves the birth of two twin babies who had no prenatal care and were born prematurely to a mother who experienced significant medical complications during the delivery. The mother is a single parent with a low IQ and was scheduled to receive aid and instructions from social services before her discharge. The aid and instructions, however, never occurred. The mother and the infants were released from the hospital to a women’s shelter that was later determined to be an unfavorable environment to care for newborn children. Subsequently, the mother had trouble feeding the newborns, as they would not tolerate formula or breast milk. As a result, they became very malnourished and one of the twins died three weeks after birth. The mother has subsequently been charged with murder and attempted murder due to alleged starvation. Two days before the infant’s death, a social service’s visit had declared the boys to be in good health and ended the social service’s relationship with the mother.