Chapter 17 - Family court
Pregnancy ends.
Parenthood does not.
Michael was Mae’s legal father.
His criminal charges did not automatically erase that.
Family court became its own universe.
Temporary orders.
Supervised contact.
No direct communication with me.
Parenting evaluations later.
Michael’s attorney argued:
He had never harmed the baby directly.
He believed he was protecting her before birth.
He wanted immediate access after delivery.
My attorney argued:
He confined the mother carrying the baby and interfered with medical autonomy.
That affected safety judgment.
The court began with supervised visits.
Not because Michael deserved a reward.
Because parental rights and child safety required separate analysis.
I hated that at first.
Then watched the first supervised visit through a report afterward.
Michael held Mae.
Cried.
Changed a diaper badly.
Fed her from a bottle under supervision.
No violence.
No camera.
That last condition was explicit.
No filming the child during visits.
No online posting.
No monetization.
Michael objected initially.
The evaluator asked:
“Why do you need to record?”
He had no good answer.
Eventually:
“I’m used to documenting my life.”
The evaluator replied:
May you like
“Your daughter is not content.”
That sentence became part of the order.
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