Mom accused of decapitating newborn

[Contrary1]

I don't quite get this one. "born at home about 19 weeks premature", that would mean about 21 weeks gestational age, right?

When my twin granddaughters were born prematurely at 22 weeks, we were told that there was nothing that could be done to save them, their lungs were not developed enough.

Average weight at 21 weeks is 12.70 oz. How could this little one have survived? And, how could it be proven that the baby was born alive?

"CENTRALIA, Wash. — A 25-year-old woman accused of decapitating her live, prematurely born infant son with a kitchen knife faced first-degree murder charges on Thursday during an initial court appearance.
Laura Lynn Hickey of Centralia, who had three previous children removed from her custody by the state, appeared before Lewis County Superior Court Judge Richard Brosey in the town of Chehalis, about 90 miles south of Seattle, and was ordered held on $1 million bail.

Centralia Police Department spokesman John Panco said investigators determined that Hickey's infant son was alive when born at home about 19 weeks premature but suffered "fatal injuries that were intentionally inflicted."

Panco told Reuters the newborn was decapitated with a knife "commonly used in the kitchen."

Paramedics were called to Hickey's residence after neighbors heard her cry out for help in the early morning hours of March 2. Hickey was taken to Centralia Providence Hospital, where she told doctors that she had suffered a miscarriage..."

More: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42005999/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

[B2G]

1. What don't you get? n/t

[Contrary1]

2. That the child was born alive...

and if he was, I doubt that he would have lived more than a couple minutes.

Not trying to mitigate what the mother did here.

[B2G]

3. She cut the head off of a newborn

It doesn't get more heinous than that. I don't understand your confusion.

[rebecca_herman]

7. live birth is possible at that gestation, long-term survival is not

At 21 weeks the survival rate is 0% and at 22 weeks it is around 5-10%. However live birth is possible prior to 22 weeks and the newborn might survive as long as an hour or two. Obviously there was something very, very wrong with her to cut off her newborn's head, but she didn't deprive the child of survival as he would have died within an hour or two even in a hospital.

[spotbird]

4. Two possibilities

She was trying to cut the cord and as a novice it went awry or postpartum psychosis.

[B2G]

5. Your first scenario is laughable

Your second equally so. Post partum depression doesn't set in 30 seconds after giving birth.

She murdered her child. End of story.

[TwilightGardener]

6. I think it goes deeper than those two scenarios--she'd had her

other children taken away, and I'm willing to bet she didn't get any prenatal care and may have tried to actively harm the fetus while it was still in utero (I'm assuming that's why they're looking at toxicology in the autopsy).