Baby G

I grew up about 20 minutes from where I live now, so I end up seeing a lot of people in the ER that I knew as a kid. Sometimes it's great, sometimes not so great. Today was one of those not so great days. Today I took care of Baby G. I had taken care of Baby G before. He was beautiful, healthy and one month old when I met him. He looked so much like my son did when he was a baby. Baby G is my sons second cousin on his fathers side (his cousins child). I couldn't recognize him today, just four months later.

He was brought in to the ER today, his head swollen to twice the size. A skull fracture, hydrocephaly, fractured ribs. I had never seen a CT that looked like his. When I realized who he was I literally felt faint. The parents deny abusing him, of course they would. Those injuries could not be caused any other way than by abuse. He ended up getting intubated and medflighted to Boston.

It's so tragic. It always is. But, knowing the family, having held this little boy in my arms just a few months ago and marveling at how much he looked like my own child...it hurts. His parents are teenagers (I changed his dad's diapers when he was a baby). I just never saw this coming. They had seemed so attentive and caring. And, now...if he survives, he will have profound brain damage. I hope they are able to determine who hurt him, and no matter the punishment, it is not enough. It breaks my heart.