From The Lily:
It's hard for Raelene Baker to say which session is harder: the separation, when a new mother unwillingly gives her newborn away, or the follow-up, when she meets with that mother several days later — often the mom is still lactating, a painful physical reminder of the infant she cannot hold. As a doula who works in Minnesota jails and prisons, Baker regularly deals with these inevitable parts of the job.
“It’s just really painful,” Baker said. “I look at the baby who is nursing and know that the next time that baby eats, it won’t be from his or her mother. It will be from a bottle held by someone they’ve never met, after they’ve had these two days of snuggling and cuddling.”
As it stands, when a woman gives birth while incarcerated in Minnesota, she is not allowed to keep the baby. After two or three days in the hospital, the baby goes on to a new caregiver — a relative if possible, and if not, the baby goes into the state’s foster-care system. Continue reading >>>
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