The couple’s midwife, licensed professional counselor Cheryl Edinbyrd, told CBS News that the Texas couple elected to do a home birth after Temecia Jackson had two prior Cesarean sections. Now, they say their child was wrongfully taken by the Department of Family and Protective Services.
Texas parents Temecia and Rodney Jackson have alleged that after they had a home birth and chose to treat their days-old child at home for jaundice, their pediatrician reported them to authorities, setting off a chain of events that led to Rodney Jackson’s brief arrest and the infant being placed in foster care.
The Jacksons, who have two older children and live in Desoto, a suburb of Dallas, elected to do a home birth after Temecia Jackson had two prior Cesarean sections, the couple’s midwife, licensed professional counselor Cheryl Edinbyrd, told CBS News. Edinbyrd said that she first began providing care to the Jacksons in September 2022 through The Tree of Life Wellness Center. Their daughter, Mila Jackson, was born on March 21, 2023.
The Jacksons declined to speak with CBS News, but Edinbyrd said that Mila was born at home in the family’s bathtub and described the birth as “beautiful.” There were no signs of jaundice within the first 24 hours, Edinbyrd said. The midwife, who said she has been present at over 100 births, said that there were follow-ups scheduled for three and five days after Mila was born.
On March 24, the Jacksons brought their daughter to the office of Dr. Anand Bhatt, their pediatrician of 12 years. In a press conference on Thursday, the Jacksons described the visit as for a “newborn checkup.”
The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that the CIA director told the Saudis that the US was blindsided by the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Syria.
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