A mother shook her three week-old baby son so hard his brain ‘essentially liquified’, according to police. Jessica Donachie, 25, is also accused of battering the newborn so badly that he suffered broken ribs and a skull fracture. She is reported to have shoved a bottle in his mouth with such force that the flesh between his top lip and gums was ripped.
The mother, who has been described as ‘troubled’ allegedly replied to a friend who texted asking how she was finding being a mom with ‘I hate it.’ Donachie’s son, who has not been named, was rushed to hospital near her home in Salem, Massachusetts, on October 24.
This is separate and apart from that. ‘This is separate and apart from even a so-called typical abusive head trauma. ‘This baby was not, quote unquote, just shaken. ‘This baby was beaten. ‘The evidence will show she shoved a baby bottle into his mouth hard enough to tear the frenulum.’ Donachie has been described as suffering from depression, and is said to have been off the medication she was prescribed for the condition at the time of the alleged attack. The mother has claimed she first noticed her son had gone limp after getting up to feed him while staying at her dad’s house the day before he was rushed to hospital. She has since been allowed to visit the child under supervision. Doctors initially warned the little boy would require a feeding tube, but he is now drinking from a bottle. The infant is also said to be able to recognize voices and sounds. His mother’s next court appearance is on December 31.