LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Anisha Hathaway welcomed her third child to the world just one month and a couple days ago. But now, that baby, Ayden, is fighting for his life.
It's still hard for Hathaway to find the words to describe what police say happened to Ayden. They say he was assaulted by his father, 25-year-old Demarcus Swain, who Hathaway says she's separated from. Swain is now charged with first-degree assault and first-degree criminal abuse of a child under the age of 12. He is currently being held in Louisville Metro Corrections.
"He's always watching other people's kids," Hathaway said. "He's actually good with kids. I just thought that I could trust him."
According to an arrest report, police were sent to St. Mary's & Elizabeth Hospital on the afternoon of Nov. 17 after someone reported that an infant had been attacked.Â
Police say the boy had life-threatening injuries and was taken to Norton Children's Hospital.
According to the arrest report, the boy "remains in critical condition with a bleak chance of survival."
They say Swain admitted to aggressively shaking the baby before laying him on his chest out of "frustration" because the 1-month-old was crying.
"I can't give you the exact details, but they're frequent," said Erika Janes, the Injury Prevention Coordinator for Norton Children's Hospital.
Janes said similar cases are frequent and said even a small shake can affect a baby for the rest of his or her life.
"Almost every time when a child's been injured, the message that we get from parents is they couldn't get the baby to stop crying," she said.
Her advice to parents is simple.
"You simply lay them down on their back gently, and you step away," she said. "I can promise, you as a new parent, you will be frustrated. And the message is: It's OK to step away but to put the baby in a safe spot on their back."
It's advice Hathaway said the baby's dad should have followed.
"Go to another room, maybe. Take a break," Hathaway said. "Call someone to come get him if you can't, you know, handle it."
Hathaway said her baby is still in critical condition and still can't breathe without the help of a machine.
According to this Norton Children's Hospital, Kentucky has the second highest child abuse rate in the country, and Indiana isn't much better. Those rates are rising.
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