Postpartum depression is a serious condition that is said to affect many women after giving birth to a child. In a recent case outside Alabama, the mother of twins entered a guilty plea of two counts of misdemeanor child abuse and is now facing jail time. She claims that her acts were brought on by her depressed mental state. Child custody was given to the boys’ paternal grandparents, and according to the district attorney, they are now doing fine.

The 26-year-old mother, allegedly suffering from postpartum depression, is accused of leaving her 5-month-old sons in their child carriers for extended periods of time. It has been reported that the woman never bathed her babies. In her statement to the court, she said that the reason for this is that she feared that bathing the babies would cause them to drown. Both infants are said to have suffered from rashes that were infected, as well as insect bites on their bodies.

It was stated in court that the twins’ grandmother took them to a medical center. The doctors in attendance would not permit the babies’ seat carriers to be brought into the hospital. It is alleged that the carriers were infested with roaches and reeked of urine. The doctors immediately notified authorities.

The original charges brought against the mother were felonies. Due to a plea arrangement, those charges were lowered to misdemeanors and the woman was sentenced to serve two 60-day jail terms. The judge later suspended that sentence and ordered her to a 24-day supervised probation.

It can be a very stressful experience when a close family member is suffering from a condition that is affecting the care of children in a negative way. Family members in Alabama, who, like the grandparents in this case, believe that children are being neglected or abused and are hoping to gain child custody, may wish to consult an experienced family law attorney for advice. Such advice may prove beneficial before proceeding in a court of law.

It is obvious that grandparents tend to experience joy when they are able to spend time with the children of their own sons or daughters. In certain situations, however, child custody is given to grandparents in Alabama and elsewhere when parents have been deemed incapable of caring for their own children. Many of these cases involve parental substance abuse.

A recent radio program included the interview of a woman who, with her husband, had her daughter involuntarily committed for opiate addiction. The couple then took their two grandchildren into their custodial care. Reports indicate that this is becoming a common occurrence throughout the nation. One state mentioned provides a support group for grandparents facing similar circumstances.

Many of the grandparents have stated that they believed their grandchildren were in immediate danger due to their own son’s or daughter’s opiate addictions. Some of these couples have reported taking on second mortgages in order to sustain themselves while raising their grandchildren. In decades past, data suggests that many grandparents were put into similar positions of raising grandchildren when the children’s parents or parents had alcohol-related problems. As time went on, substance abuse of cocaine became more frequent; now, heroin and other opiates are common forms of addiction.

In some cases, parents resume custody of their children after successfully completing mandated treatment and rehabilitation programs. Any grandparent in Alabama facing similar issues might want to discuss his or her case with a legal professional who has experience in matters of family law. Doing so could provide clarification on the regulations and laws of the state regarding grandparents attaining child custody when they believe their grandchildren are in danger or being neglected due to a parent’s drug addiction.

Source: myfox8.com, “Forsyth County woman convicted of neglecting twin sons“,