A Wisconsin couple has been charged with one felony count of child neglect. Christopher and Mary Sultze, of Appleton, are accused of starving their baby to keep her from becoming obese, according to the AP.
The baby was born weighing a little over eight pounds. Allegedly the baby gained only five pounds in fourteen months. She was born in July of 2010 and weighed only thirteen pounds in September. One doctor said the baby had no subcutaneous fat, another said she would have to weigh twenty-two pounds more to make her age charts.
The baby's medical condition was a mystery to physicians when she did not gain weight. They tracked her progress, or lack of it, over months. The doctors ran tests to see if there was a medical problem that was interfering with her weight gain. After the baby was admitted to the hospital, she gained eight ounces in one day. The parents were extremely upset at the suggestion of feeding their baby more calories. The parents wanted to remove their girl from the hospital against doctors advice. The father said he did not want obese or fat kids, and he was afraid the baby would get fat at the hospital.
The father said he had a blocked artery at the age of 25. It is not clear if reports that large babies have a tendency to become obese, according to USA Today, made any difference in the parents starvation tactics. While no one wants an obese baby, it is not clear that large babies automatically go on to become obese. Doctors are not in total agreement about putting any baby on a strict diet, says MSNBC. Avoiding putting juice in bottles and having regular mealtimes with the whole family seem to indicate sensible ways to reduce undue infant weight gain.
Christopher Sultze, 35, was released on bond and was ordered to have no contact with the child involved. Mary Sultze, 36, waived a preliminary hearing, so she could continue caring for her other three children. She cannot have contact with the infant she is accused of starving. No report on the condition, age or weight of the remaining children was given.
The couple could face a year and a half in prison and $25,000 in fines.
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