Kennedy Hebert and Logan Tingle were crowned Morgan City High School prom queen and king during the prom court held May 5. Hebert is the daughter of Kitty and Joseph Hebert. Tingle is the son of Katrina and James Tingle.
NEW YORK (AP) — “I don’t even call it a bed. I kind of think of it as your grandmother.”
So declares Dr. Harvey Karp, a Los Angeles pediatrician whose smart-tech baby sleeper, the Snoo, is a game-changer for some sleep-deprived parents.
The Snoo has earned rave reviews from baby gear experts and parents alike, including Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis. Last year, the consumer products show CES bestowed its coveted baby safety award on the invention.
The Snoo is all about swaddling. Just don’t call it a bed.
In a video on his website, Papa Karp says the Snoo provides a service “more than being a thing.” It gently rocks and jiggles babies from birth to 6 months old, a period he calls the “fourth trimester,” when — he believes — simulating the womb environment is key to calming babies.
Babies are zipped into a mesh sleep sack after a broad cotton swaddle tightly pins the infant’s arms to the side from shoulder to wrist. The sack is then secured to the Snoo’s frame before the rocking and a white-noise lullaby commence.
Karp, who’s also written a book, “The Happiest Baby on the Block,” says infants should be soothed in 40 to 60 seconds. The Snoo increases its motion and noise based on persistent sound from the baby, until it reaches its fourth and final level. If that doesn’t work, it turns off. Parents can adjust settings manually or with an app. The Snoo also comes with an organic cotton sheet and sleep sacks in three sizes.
But at $1,160, the Snoo more expensive than many rocking devices — though designer baby beds can run higher.
New York mom Kathleen Udo heard about the Snoo and “thought, ‘Wow, that sounds great, sign me up,’ until I looked at the price. I was, like, ‘Get out of town.’”
Then her son Jack, now 3 months old, was born. Parental fatigue set in and she found a mommy friend with a Snoo to lend.
“My little terrorist over here wouldn’t sleep. Even with the Snoo, we’ve only gotten to about four hours at a stretch at night,” said Udo, who is an attorney. “I’m going back to work in mid-June and I need to be back on my A-game. The Snoo was a desperation move.”
Karp says babies who aren’t put in the Snoo from birth have a learning curve, and that was the case with Jack. But, says Udo, “It definitely calms him,” so that she doesn’t need to rock him to sleep anymore.
Jamee Zalewski of Denver tried the Snoo with her second child Ruby. “The mental break was really important for me,” she said. “I was able to take it because I knew the Snoo’s soothing would shut off if Ruby needed me. I could watch it on my phone and get an alert.”
Her husband Paul, who blogs about baby gear at Fathercraft.com, said they sometimes wondered, “‘Are we letting a robot do our job?’ There were these moments when we would walk away after Ruby fell asleep and we’d be like, ‘We should be doing something.’”
While the Zalewskis did become Snoo fans, they opted to return the device before the 30-day trial period was up. The reason: Ruby was colicky and congested and needed to sleep on an incline. The company has since added leg lifts so it can be adjusted.
Karp, who worked with designer Yves Behar on the Snoo, says the device also promotes safety, by keeping babies in the supine position recommended for sleep by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and by making it unnecessary for sleep-deprived parents to bring babies into their own beds. About 3,500 infants in the United States die suddenly and unexpectedly each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease and Control, and the causes include accidental suffocation in a parent’s bed.
Getting babies to sleep soundly can also reduce postpartum depression and marital stress. “The No. 1 stress that new parents talk about is exhaustion,” Karp said.
Karp’s team works with companies offering rented Snoos to parents returning to work, foster parents and doctors treating babies born to drug-addicted mothers. He is also working on a plan to offer Snoos for rent at reasonable cost.
At the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital in Lexington, 10 Snoos are available for babies with the addiction and withdrawal condition called neonatal abstinence syndrome, in a state where 15 of every 1,000 babies is born dependent on opioids. Such babies routinely experience disrupted sleep, said Dr. Lori A. Shook, a neonatologist there. Before she stumbled on the Snoo at a pediatrics conference, she’d notice the babies in the eight-bed unit fussing terribly in their bassinets.
The Snoos are used in addition to aromatherapy and massage for calming, in a unit that focuses on families caring for their babies.
“Now on rounds I see every baby asleep in their Snoo bed,” Shook said. “At first I think the nurses were leery because of the motion, but now we realize it also allows families to sleep better, and hopefully get the babies out of the hospital sooner and with less medication.”
PLEASE LOG IN FOR PREMIUM CONTENT. Our website requires visitors to log in to view the best local news from St. Mary Now. Not yet a subscriber? Subscribe today!
PLEASE LOG IN FOR PREMIUM CONTENT. Our website requires visitors to log in to view the best local news from St. Mary Now. Not yet a subscriber? Subscribe today!
A Morgan City woman was booked on a 2010 warrant stemming from an incident in Bayou Vista in which she used a stolen debit card to buy over $250 in items, St. Mary Parish Sheriff Scott Anslum said in a news release.
—Rachel Dardar, 39, of Belanger Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 5:50 p.m. Friday on a warrant charging her with theft and unauthorized use of an access card.
A deputy investigating a report of a vehicle crash on U.S. 90 in Bayou Vista went to the home on Belanger Street, located Dardar and found that she had an active warrant for her arrest.
The warrant was issued in June 2010 after a deputy identified Dardar as the suspect who used the victim’s stolen debit card to purchase over $250 in items from a store in Bayou Vista, Anslum said. Dardar was transported to parish jail and then transferred to another facility for housing.
Anslum reported that deputies responded to 42 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrests in east St. Mary Parish:
—Emily Borel, 24, of David Road in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 8:13 p.m. Friday on a warrant charging her with battery of a dating partner. The warrant was issued following an investigation into a complaint of a domestic battery at a home in Bayou Vista. The deputy collected evidence that Borel struck another woman during an argument, Anslum said. Borel turned herself in at parish jail and was released on $2,500 bail.
—Shane Granger, 30, of Chetta Lane in Siracusaville, was arrested at 6:45 p.m. Monday on charges of possession of marijuana, violation of a controlled dangerous substance law-drug-free zone, turning movements and required signals violation, following vehicles violation and a warrant from the City Court of Morgan City for failure to appear on a charge of driver must be licensed.
—Louis Ross, 38, of North Bayou Black Drive in Gibson, was arrested at 6:45 p.m. Monday on a Terrebonne Parish warrant for failure to appear on a charge of domestic abuse battery.
Narcotics detectives conducted a traffic stop on La. 182 in Amelia after observing the driver fail to signal a turn and follow too closely to other vehicles on the roadway. Detectives identified the driver as Granger and the passenger as Ross, the sheriff said.
While speaking with Granger, detectives received consent to search the vehicle and located a marijuana cigarette, the sheriff said. Detectives also found that Granger was wanted on an active warrant out of Morgan City and Ross was wanted on an active warrant from Terrebonne Parish, Anslum said. Granger and Ross were jailed with no bail set.
Morgan City Police Chief James Blair reported that officers responded to 51 calls and reported the following arrests:
—Raven Piggot, 24, of Robin Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 6:45 p.m. Monday on a warrant charging her with possession of quetiapine furmarate.
Piggot was located and arrested in the area of Robin Street on a warrant. The warrant stems from an April 4 incident when officers initiated a stop on a vehicle being driven in an erratic manner. Piggot was identified as the driver and found in possession of suspected quetiapine furmarate, Blair said.
The investigation continued and warrants were prepared for Piggot’s arrest. Piggot was jailed.
—David T. Francois, 46, of Fourth Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 9:17 p.m. Monday on charges of resisting an officer and improper equipment.
Narcotics division investigators were in the area of La. 70 when they observed a person exit Brownell Homes on a bicycle crossing over two lanes of travel. The bike was not equipped with any lighting or reflectors.
Investigators attempted to stop and speak with the person when he fled on the bike, Blair said. The man, later identified as Francois, then began to flee on foot when he was apprehended, Blair said. Francois was jailed.
—Marquis J. Clark, 30, of Gabriel Street in Patterson, was arrested at 4:39 a.m. Tuesday on charges of possession of marijuana and improper turning.
Patrol officers observed a vehicle being operated in the area of La. 182 negotiate an improper turn. A stop was initiated when Clark was identified. Clark was in possession of suspected marijuana, Blair said. Clark was jailed.
Assumption Parish Sheriff Leland Falcon reported the following arrest relating to east St. Mary Parish:
—Brant Michael Percle, 39, of Elm Street in Morgan City, was arrested on charges of possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
On Monday evening, deputies responded to a disturbance call and upon arrival spoke to Percle outside the home. Deputies spoke to other witnesses and obtained statements related to the disturbance.
Deputies observed in plain view, a fully charged syringe as well as a quantity of suspected methamphetamine, Falcon said. Upon confronting Percle, he acknowledged that the drugs and paraphernalia were his, Falcon said. Percle was transported to the Assumption Parish Detention Center and jailed pending a bail hearing.
Berwick Police Chief James Richard reported no arrests.
Patterson Police Chief Janis Merritt reported no arrests.
(Photos below)
Travis Whitehead is what coaches call a gym rat.
The ex-Berwick High School standout signed a national letter of intent to play college basketball at Delgado Community College in New Orleans Friday at Berwick.
Whitehead, an off-guard, got better each season and had a breakout season as senior, averaging nearly 10 points and 11 rebounds per game.
“I spent a lot of time in the gym,” Whitehead said. “So much so that the coaches gave me a key to the gym. I’m going to go to the gym everyday if I could, and I’m going to get some work in, or we will run pick-up games.”
Berwick coach Toney Linn said, “That’s why this ceremony is important, not only for Travis and his family, but for younger kids watching and realizing you can come to Berwick and get an athletic scholarship. It’s about them as individuals. If they work hard and do what they need to do, then we will fight for them.”
Despite his breakout senior season, Whitehead still had things he needed to work on after a position change.
“He’s still raw on the wing,” Linn said. “He had played with his back to the basket until we needed to put him out on the wing this season. He wasn’t really happy about it, but he’s a team guy, and he improved quickly. And now he gets to play the position for two years at Delgado, and he can go to a bigger school from there.”
Whitehead had prepared himself for the possibly that he would have to go to a junior college far away home.
“This is a dream come true,” Whitehead said. “Everybody says they want to go to college to play basketball as kids. I didn’t mind going far away to keep playing ball, but getting the offer from Delgado is a blessing. If you really love your sport, moving away isn’t that big a deal though.”
PLEASE LOG IN FOR PREMIUM CONTENT. Our website requires visitors to log in to view the best local news from St. Mary Now. Not yet a subscriber? Subscribe today!
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana’s budget woes have spawned a heart-wrenching yearly ritual, where people who rely on the state for health services plead with lawmakers to shield their programs from cuts, in grueling testimony about the real-life hardships of coping with disabilities.
The ritual played out again Monday in the Senate Finance Committee, as people in wheelchairs and parents with children unable to speak for themselves packed a hearing room to beg senators to reverse House-backed cuts proposed for the budget year starting July 1.
“What am I going to do? Who is going to help me survive?” asked Travis Stafford, a 60-year-old Baton Rouge resident who had a cerebral hemorrhage as a child and has suffered with seizures that have damaged his brain.
Stafford, wearing a helmet, sat at the table while a friend read his testimony to senators.
The Medicaid program that helps him perform daily activities is on the chopping block.
Louisiana has struggled through a decade of budget gaps as tax cuts and tax breaks siphoned away billions from the state treasury and declining oil prices worsened the blow. Lawmakers and governors repeatedly pieced together short-term fixes to keep programs running, rather than making permanent decisions about how to pay for services.
Each year, as the patchwork dollars near expiration, critical health services are threatened and families trudge to the Louisiana Capitol to appeal for financing.
The House-backed version of next year’s budget would close a gap caused by expiring taxes by cutting $431 million in general state tax dollars from the health department. The cut would grow to an estimated $1.6 billion or more with the loss of federal matching dollars.
Safety-net hospitals would shutter, and tens of thousands would lose the state aid that keeps them in nursing homes. Finance Chairman Eric LaFleur said an estimated 45,000 people with disabilities are slated to lose health services in the budget proposal.
“It makes us look pretty heartless,” LaFleur said.
Gov. John Bel Edwards wants lawmakers to pass replacement taxes in a special session later this month to fill the budget hole.
But it’s unclear if lawmakers will be able to reach a tax deal after a February special session imploded without raising revenue.
On Monday, parents choked up and wiped away tears as they explained the intricacies of caring for children who suffer with uncontrollable seizures, who breathe through tubes and who can’t feed themselves or hold up their own heads.
Senators vowed to try to stop the cuts — though they said people likely will wait several more weeks through the special session to learn if their services will be protected.
“I want to apologize that you have to go through this again,” said Sen. Regina Barrow, a Baton Rouge Democrat.
Sen. Sharon Hewitt, a Slidell Republican, told the packed room: “Your stories are both heartbreaking and inspirational. We hear you.”
Kathryne Hart brought her 2-year-old son Carter to the hearing. At four months old, he was diagnosed with a severe epilepsy syndrome that can cause hundreds of seizures on some days. He’s unable to crawl, sit, roll over or eat on his own and requires constant care.
Hart, a Baton Rouge resident who works at a chemical plant, said private insurance doesn’t cover all the necessities required for Carter’s care, such as the $800 a month her family spends on a special feeding formula.
Her family gets some services through a Medicaid program for medically-fragile children, but Hart said she’s scaled back some of those services because her family can’t afford a cost-share enacted during a prior round of cuts. Carter is in the queue for another program, but Hart said the waiting list is 12 years.
“We and so many families like ours caring for angels need help,” Hart said. “Please invest in families.”
9/1/1949-5/4/2018
Susan Marie Ratcliff Leon, a native and lifelong resident of Morgan City, was called to her heavenly home on Friday, May 4, 2018 at the age of 68.
Susan was a devoted wife to her loving husband, a dedicated mother to her children, and was known for spoiling her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Susan adored the outdoors, there she spent much of her time gardening and tending to her Koi Pond. She was a free-spirited person who was one with nature. Susan was a selfless person and was always concerned with the happiness of those around her. Resilient, dedicated and strong-willed, these are traits that made up the beautiful soul that was Susan.
Those left to cherish Susan’s memory is her husband and best friend of 50 years, Norris Leon Jr. of Bayou Vista; five children, Kirk Leon and his wife, Gerayne, Klint Leon and his wife, Brooke, Reneé Boudousquie and her husband, Michael, Keith Leon and his wife, Tonya, and Tara Nico and her husband, Larry; three siblings, Randolph “Randy” Ratcliff Jr. and his wife, Barbara, Elsie Gaudet and her husband, Bobby Sr., and Ronald “Ronnie” Ratcliff Sr. and his wife, Sandra; 13 grandchildren, Andrew Broussard, Kaleb Leon, Brent Alleman Jr., Lauren Alleman, Konner Leon, McKenzie Leon, Logan Leon, Camren Boudousquie, Morgan Boudousquie, Andrea Haddock and her husband, Josh, Jalisa Nico, Braedyn Nico and Layton Nico; and five great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her mother-in-law, Hazel Leon and four brothers-in-law and two sisters-in-law.
She joined in heaven her parents, Randolph Ratcliff Sr.; her mother, Shirley Mayon Ratcliff; her father-in-law, Norris Leon Sr.; her brother, Michael Ratcliff; and her nieces, Rachel and Kimberly Ratcliff.
The family requests that a time of visitation be observed on Wednesday, May 9, 2018 from 9 a.m. until time of services at 1 p.m. at Hargrave Funeral Home in Morgan City, Louisiana. Following services, Susan will be laid to rest in the Morgan City Mausoleum. Acting as pallbearers will be her beloved grandsons.
Franklin Banner-Tribune
P.O. Box 566, Franklin, LA 70538
Phone: 337-828-3706
Fax: 337-828-2874
Morgan City Review
1014 Front Street, Morgan City, LA 70380
Phone: 985-384-8370
Fax: 985-384-4255