http://torontostar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/A rticle_Type1&c=Article&cid=1015282985861&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=9 68332188492&call_pagepath=News/News Deaf mother `not coping well,' saysCAS Allegation denied by woman who had her newborn taken away Nicholas Keung STAFF REPORTER A deaf mother had her newborn baby taken away because she is "quick tempered and would flare up easily," according to documents filed in Newmarket family court yesterday. Michelle (not her real name) "appears to be unable to manage the day-to-day responsibilities and the care of the baby," said Children's Aid Society senior counsel Anthony Snider in a court application to justify the agency's decision to remove the infant from the 27-year-old single mother. "(She) is not coping well with the recent birth of her baby." Snider wrote that CAS workers were acting on a complaint by Michelle's landlady last Wednesday, alleging the young mother stormed out of the apartment they shared following an argument over "the state of (Michelle's) room." The landlady also complained that Michelle neglected her son's cries. Michelle denies the allegations. "It's all because I am deaf and considered an incompetent mother," she said. Michelle needed to obtain different devices to alert her when the baby was crying or in distress, including one that shook the bed rapidly when the child cried. She also had a device that caused the lights to flicker when the baby made a noise. But the landlady told the CAS that Michelle often would turn off the monitors. Michelle said she had the monitor turned off at the request of the landlady, who complained the noise of the mattress moving kept waking her. In a statement of facts, CAS said Michelle contacted the agency in January for help with her unborn baby because she was deaf and it was her first child. Numerous community agencies became involved in the child's care since his birth on Feb. 12. Last week, a team of four York Region police and CAS workers showed up at the Concord house of Michelle's deaf friends, where the mother and son were visiting, and took the baby boy away. No sign language interpreter was present. Court documents also showed that, the day before the complaint was filed, a CAS high-risk infant nurse indicated Michelle "was very negative about everything, stating she was unable to do anything because of the baby, including the laundry or going shopping. "Given the concerns regarding (Michelle's) inability to cope with her newborn baby, her placing her own needs above those of the baby, reports of her quick temper and frustration with the baby ... a period of wardship is required to ensure (the baby's) safety," CAS noted in its court application. Michelle said she was still coping with the pain after birth and was not able to do the laundry as diligently as she should have. Beth McAdam, a counsellor with Silent Voices who has been assisting Michelle, said in an interview she is convinced her client is a responsible parent who asked for all possible resources to ensure all the baby's needs are met. "If the mother was negligent and the boy was abused, I would definitely have made a report to the CAS," said McAdam. *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html