http://forum.veggieviews.com/threads/midwife-sentenced-after-nearly-starving-her-baby-to-death.7852/
Her baby boy had been vomiting for up to a week, had sunken eyes and was hardly moving when a mother finally decided to take him to a Sydney hospital.
And it was not a moment too soon as police say the eight-month-old was just days away from death.
It was later discovered the mother, 33, who is also a maternity ward nurse, was practising a raw food diet and fasting which almost caused her breastfeeding baby to starve to death.
But she had only decided to go on the strict diet allegedly on the advice of Leppington naturopath Marilyn Bodnar, 60.
On Wednesday the mother, who cannot be identified, was given a 14 month suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to failing to provide for her child.
In handing down the sentence, Magistrate Ian Guy said the offending was "deeply concerning".
"It is an extraordinarily serious example of failing to provide for a child," he said.
"In this case there was a failure to provide a level care to the point where the child was days away from dying."
"She went against her training, and against the tell tale signs which would have been blindingly obvious to anyone."
During a sentencing hearing lawyer Richard Kouchoo argued his client was a victim and went on the diet "out of desperation" to fix her son's infected eczema.
"It is quite clear – in her desperation, my client turned to the naturopath and unfortunately took advice to take the raw diet which she shouldn't have," Mr Kouchoo told Campbelltown Local Court.
