She cannot contain her tears. On Saturday, a young mother posted a very relayed message on social networks to denounce the placement of the baby she had just given birth to a few days earlier at her home near Vitré, in Ille-et-Vilaine. Aged 2, the eldest of little Lou was also placed in a nursery, leaving the parents in awe. A story that quickly found an echo on social networks, especially among advocates of unassisted childbirth. Because this is the first obstacle that Noémie and Raphaël, the parents of little Lou, came up against. And that is why they saw the gendarmes come to their home to take their two daughters away.
On Thursday, June 7, the father went to the civil status service of the town hall of Vitré to declare the birth of his daughter on June 3 at his home. He and his companion made the “maturely considered” choice of an unassisted delivery which “went perfectly” at their home. The mother is fine, the baby too. Except that, the registrar needed to have proof. In the absence of a doctor’s or midwife’s certificate, the father returned on June 8 with his partner and child, the last possible day to declare the birth “indicating that he had not found a doctor or a midwife to establish a medical certificate”, specifies the mayor of Vitré Isabelle Le Callennec. The declaration of birth could be registered.
That day, the civil registrar insisted on recalling the importance of having the child visited by a doctor in order to ensure his state of health “without this advice seeming to find a favorable echo near of the father”, specifies the vitreous municipality. The agent alerted the Maternal and Child Protection of the birth, informing them of the absence of a medical visit. “The civil status service has thus complied with the regulations”, promises the municipality.
The request for placement of the children was made by the department of Ille-et-Vilaine, which sent a report to the public prosecutor of Rennes. The reason ? “Elements of risk of danger to the health and medical follow-up of two children from a vitreous family”, specifies the department in a press release.
It was then the public prosecutor’s office which ordered the placement with the child welfare services (ASE) before seizing the children’s judge who will have to rule on this situation. But when ? “We were told that we couldn’t see our children for three weeks,” denounces Noémie, who is therefore not authorized to breastfeed her.
A lawyer will see the judge on Tuesday
After some discussion, she got permission to express her milk to give to her baby. But the tension rose very sharply when the parents expressed their incomprehension in the face of this placement which they consider abusive. “Childhood social assistance in the Ille-et-Vilaine department will continue to support the parents and children concerned, in compliance with the decisions rendered by the courts”, assures the department.
Thanks to an online fundraiser organized by relatives of the family, a lawyer was hired. She should see the judge on Tuesday. The parents continue to seek visitation rights, believing that “there is no real reason” for them not to see their two daughters.