I took my baby for a doctor’s appointment & my 5 kids were taken into care for 10 months – it’s happened to thousands
REBECCA Wanosik had taken her newborn daughter Zeydn to the doctor's after something felt off.
But just moments later, her world suddenly turned upside down - and that same night, all five of her children, Zach, eight, Zoey, six, Zander, five, Zavier, three, and Zeydn, three weeks, were removed from her by the authorities.
Rebecca, who's training to be a midwife, explained that she had noticed something was off with Zeydn when she tried to burp her.
''It was like her ribs were popping underneath my fingers.''
Although the mum-of-five said there wasn't much about newborns that could faze her, her experience taught her to trust her gut, so she took the little one to the doctor the following day.
''He told me my baby was just 'adjusting to the outside world'.
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''Zeydn's dad Anthony and I both trusted his opinion that she was fine.
''But a few weeks later, I was strapping her into the car seat and as I gently adjusted her arms, she began to cry like she was in pain,'' she told .
They went back to the hospital, where it was suggested that Zeydn's shoulder could have been damaged during Rebecca's home birth, so she was sent straight for an X-ray.
But soon, alarms bells started ringing, when the mother wasn't allowed to go with newborn and instead was taken to a private room.
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After they'd carried out tests, a doctor came to speak to the mum.
'''I can't leave you alone with your baby,' he said, revealing - to my horror - that Zeydn had a fractured right arm and three broken ribs.
''My world fell apart as the doctors told me her injuries were 'consistent with ' and the police had been called.''
Without any hesitation, Rebecca immediately called her husband Anthony.
Despite being away for work, the dad raced to the hospital - but the moment he arrived, he was taken in for questioning.
I felt like I was living in a nightmare
Rebecca Wanosik
''Neither of us had ever laid a finger on any of our children but the police clearly thought Anthony was the culprit,'' Rebecca recalled the incident.
Although Rebecca insisted her partner would ''never hurt'' their children, no one would listen to her - and that night all five of her kids were removed from her care by authorities.
''I felt like I was living in a nightmare. One minute I'd been at a routine doctor's appointment, the next, I was being treated like a criminal,'' she said.
Rebecca, who was ''utterly distraught to be parted from the kids'' who had been taken to temporarily live with a family friend, said a no-contact order was put in place.
Desperate, she went online, trying to find an explanation for what could have caused Zeydn's injuries - however, the sheer volume of information proved to be overwhelming.
News programme that changed everything
''Then, a month later, I was watching TV when my phone began to beep with messages. Family and friends were urging me to switch on the news programme 20/20.
''The show featured the story of a woman called Cynthia who had taken her two-month-old son to the doctor with a swollen ankle.
''Tests had showed multiple other injuries and he was taken away from her too.''
The child was later diagnosed with a genetic connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which meant she suffered bone breaks and dislocations easily.
Eventually, the two-month-old son was returned to her.
This had happened to other families too, the report said - and Rebecca knew in her gut that this was what had happened with Zeydn.
The couple then got tested and were both found to be genetic carriers of the condition.
While the parents fought to have the case heard, they were only allowed supervised visits with their children.
''The visits were heartbreaking, with the kids asking why they couldn't come home,'' Rebecca said.
Reunited with the kids
Finally, after ten long months, the authorities took our Ehlers-Danlos theory seriously, and Zeydn tested positive for the condition.
Eventually, they regained custody of the kids, but despite proving they were completely innocent, their names were still listed on the state child abuse registry for the next seven years, until Rebecca worked with a local representative to get them removed.
''Thankfully, Zeydn's condition can be managed with vitamin D supplements. She needs to be careful and won't ever be able to play contact sports, but she is still living her best life,'' Rebecca said.
The parents went on to have three more kids, Zeke, Zion and Zeppelin, but ultimately the trauma of what they'd been through was too much and they separated.
Rebecca has since created a charity called Fractured Families to make sure that no other parent has ever have to go through what she and Anthony did.
So far, she revealed, they've helped more than 1,200 families get access to medical experts and lawyers.
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Rebecca is also working on having Zeydn's Law passed in the U.S., in hopes it will help parents who need a second medical opinion for their child who may have a condition that mimics child abuse.
''Now, I'm a single mum to eight kids and it's hard work – but I cherish every moment with them – and I hope no other family ever has to endure what we've been through.''