DEAR ABBY Expectant mother’s gloom has peers fearing for baby
Posted: October 11, 2009 at 5:20 a.m.
LITTLE ROCK — DEAR ABBY: A woman I work with is pregnant. While this may seem like exciting news, it is the opposite. She is already depressed and often talks about suicide.
My real concern is for her baby. She often says how, if she has a girl, she’ll drown it, suffocate it, etc. She says it openly. Everyone in the office has heard her make these statements.
The baby’s father is an alcoholic, and he is the one who wants the kid - not her. She already has an older child she has nothing to do with.
I feel something should be done to keep her baby from being harmed, but what can I do? Can Child Protective Services be of any help when it comes to an unborn baby? Or should we co-workers speak up and ask her to seek help?
- Worried in Illinois
DEAR WORRIED: Of course you should speak up! Hormones have a lot to do with the way people think and react - as anyone knows who has had anything to do with women who have premenstrual syndrome. Your co-worker should be urged to level with her doctor about the feelings she is experiencing.
I discussed your letter with Child Protective Services and was informed that no intervention can be done until a babyis born. However, when your co-worker goes to the hospital to have her child, you should notify the hospital officials because, if necessary, an intervention can be done, and the agency can become involved when she delivers.
It goes without saying that when anyone talks about suicide, that person should be advised to discuss her feelings with a counselor at one of thesuicide prevention hot lines: (800) 784-2433 and (800) 273-8255.
Dear Abby is written by Jeanne Phillips and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at
or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, Calif. 90069
High Profile, Pages 47 on 10/11/2009
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