Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center in Fort Hood was locked down on Monday after an attempted newborn abduction from a mother’s room. Technology did its job, however, the infant abduction warning alarm went off and the baby was recovered.

The would-be abductor, reportedly a woman dressed in hospital garb, got away. The AP report requests that anyone with information should contact the Fort Hood CID (Criminal Investigation Department) Office at 254-287-2722 the Fort Hood Military Police at 254-287-4001 or email Hood.CID.SAC.RA@conus.army.mil.

The Good News
This story had a happy ending, with the baby returned to their mother. There are measures every new parent can take that will make your baby less of a target for abduction. The best thing a mother can do is trust her instincts. If a hospital visitor or even supposed staff member seems “not quite right,” do not leave your baby alone with that person.

IN THE HOSPITAL

Check the Child ID Bracelet. Minutes after your baby is born, hospital staff should outfit you, Daddy and baby with matching ID bracelets. Check the numbers right away to make sure they match and make sure the bracelets are affixed firmly around baby’s wrist and ankle.

Send Daddy in with the initial check-up. Very shortly after your baby is born, the doctors will whisk him away to be cleaned, weighed, measured and evaluated. You may be a little bit out of it at this time, but Daddy should follow the doctor with the baby into the other room. If the check-up is done right in the delivery room, that’s even better.

Room-in. Having your baby room in with you provides the best protection against hospital abductions – it also makes it a lot easier to stick to that “every 2 hour” feeding schedule of a nursing mother. Obviously, never leave your baby alone (or with someone you don’t know) in the room, not even so you can go to the bathroom.

Check ID badges of hospital personnel. Before anyone takes your baby back to the nursery for any reason, check their ID badge. Remember, though, ID badges and hospital garb is very easy to forge. Rely on your instincts. If something doesn’t “feel right” about a staff member, insist (politely) on accompanying them wherever they’re going. Most staff shouldn’t have a problem with this. If they do, consider that a red flag. Buzz the nurse’s station.

Never let baby out of sight.
You know your baby will be safe if you go everywhere they go. Again, you don’t have to sound accusatory or paranoid. Merely offer casually: “Oh, great, you’re bringing her to the nursery to see the doctor? I’ll come with you.”

Visiting hours. Visiting hour is a great time to get a few minutes away from your baby to shower, eat or just relax. Only leave the baby with very close friends or relatives. Take a few minutes to educate them on safety procedures and not letting any hospital staff take the baby without your approval.

AT HOME

As improved safety measures and security technology has reduced the number of hospital abductions, the number of newborn abductions from home has increased slightly. How can you best protect your baby at home? A lot of it is simply common sense: don’t leave your baby with someone you don’t know extremely well. Demand I.D. from anybody visiting your home in an “official” capacity – if their I.D. seems suspicious, refuse to let them enter your home. Be aware, too, if a casual acquaintance suddenly starts acting like your best friend after the baby is born – especially if you haven’t known them long.

Nix the lawn signs. Those cute little wooden storks on your front lawn announcing “It’s a girl”? They’re practically welcome signs for child abductors. Keep the celebratory balloons and signs indoors.

Watch your garbage. Similarly, putting boxes out at the curb with pictures of car seats, cribs and high chairs is an advertisement there’s a baby on the way. Drop these off at the recycling plant yourself or discard them over the course of a few weeks, broken down and sandwiched in between plain cardboard boxes. Better yet, keep the boxes. Babies go through gear quickly, and you’ll then have the products in their original boxes for sale, donation or for the next baby.

The worldwide pandemic level for swine flu has been elevated to 5 out of 6 – which means there is an outbreak in at least 2 countries within a continent. Maybe it’s time to really think about preparing for the flu, especially if you have kids. Aside from the general recommendations of protection, e.g. cover your mouth, wash your hands, avoid sick people, etc., here are some real practical tips on how to prepare for the flu:

• Stock up on fluids, from mineral water to juices to tea. Swine flu is similar to the regular seasonal flu in terms of symptoms. And sufficient fluid intake is very important to counteract these symptoms. It might also be a good idea to stock up on your child’s favorite food stuffs to save you the hassle of running to the supermarket. If you are not into online shopping for groceries (like me), maybe it’s about time to check out for a reliable provider.

• Have fever medicine which is also suitable for children ready. This would include paracetamol (e.g. Tylenol) and ibuprofen (e.g. Motrin) which are available over-the-counter (OTC). Read carefully the package inserts of OTC drugs before given them to your child. Check out how to “Treat with Care.”

• Stock up on Kleenex and toilet paper. These essentials are often overlooked but they are just as necessary as disinfectants to maintain hygiene.

• Even if you are breastfeeding, have some milk formula and bottles ready just in case.

• Keep your child at home in case he or she develops symptoms. The key to controlling an epidemic is to minimize transmission. Closely monitor your child’s symptoms. According to pediatricians asked at WebMD, children under two showing symptoms should be checked by a doctor. This also applies to children of any age with other medical problems such as asthma and heart condition. Children over two who are normall healthy shouldn’t necessarily come in unless the symptoms worsen.

• Check that your thermometer is working. Fever is a major symptom and an indicator of severity. For very young children, pediatricians say they use a cut off temperature of 100.8 °F to decide whether a child needs to see a doctor.

• Have a plan. What would you do if your child has to stay home? If his or her school is closed? What sort of childcare contingency plan do you have if you have to work outside the home? What if you yourself fall ill?

• Have some indoor activities ready. You might need extra books, games or DVDs to keep little ones happy while being cooped up at home.

• Keep essential phone numbers ready: your doctor, your pharmacist, aemergency services, neighbour or close relative to call for help.

• Be alert but do not panic or overreact. There is no reason to keep your child away from school and lock yourself in the house unless the health authorities have declared school closure. Most important, it is essential that you keep yourself updated, especially at the local and state level.

Sites to get updates on health advisories:

• • Your states’ health services
  • The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) swine flu site.
  • The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
  • US Department of Health and Human Services
  • World Health Organization swine flu site

How about you? How are you preparing for the flu?