"This Injustice Must End"- Brittany Budlove, mother 

My name is Brittany Budlove and I currently reside in New Port Richey, Florida. I am a 32-year-old African American woman from the south suburbs of Chicago. I grew up middle class and was encouraged by my parents to strive for greatness. I graduated from Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical University in 2013 with a B.S in Chemistry. I then attended Howard University and studied Chemical Engineering. Now I attend the University of Florida working on a M.S in Pharmaceutical Science with a concentration in Forensic Science. I am an accomplished successful scientist however, the thing I cherish the most in life is being a mother to my beautiful daughter, Teigan. 

When I found out that I was pregnant with Teigan, I immediately started doing everything to take care of myself for her. I had a healthy pregnancy, went to all my doctor's appointments, ate right, and went on 2 mile walks everyday. My due date was supposed to have been March 23, 2019. However, on March 16, 2019 I was at home and went into labor. I labored at home from 4pm until 9pm. I made it to the hospital at 10pm. Teigan was born on March 17, 2019 at 8:32am weighing 6lbs 13oz; 20in. She stole my heart the moment I laid eyes on her chubby cheeks. As we  were in awe of Teigan, we were still trying to gain custody of my niece. We started the process in November 2018. We were subjected to 3 background checks, 2 fingerprint sessions, and 3 home studies. We even moved into a bigger home to have enough space for both growing children. We started getting visitation May 2019 after begging to see our niece. During that time we found it extremely important that we bonded as a family. We continued to get visitation until we started the transition  in August 2019. I observed our niece's behavior and knew immediately she was going to need more care than DCF led on. She was not hitting milestones a child her age should have been. But I was confident that we could provide her with everything she needed no matter what that was. Our niece went into our custody September 6, 2019. Teigan was 6 months old at the time. Teigan was vibrant, happy, healthy, and loved.

My Truth: I was a breastfeeding mother who decided to step up and care for  my ex-husband’s (then husband) niece after her mother died due to complications with substance abuse. As a mother, I trusted my instincts and made the decision to nurture and care for our niece like she was my own child. In September of 2019, our niece was placed in our care after being in foster care for several months. Our niece was placed in our care with limited information regarding her medical history which placed us at a disadvantage as her caretakers. We could see that’s she was facing some sort of medical problem. Unfortunately, no one would listen. We sought the help of numerous doctors attempting to seek answers to our questions. Our niece was severely underdeveloped and her health was declining. 

On December 5, 2019, I worked 3rd shift and didn’t get home until 7:00am on December 6, 2019. I was working 3rd shift at the time so my ex-husband was the primary caretaker for both children while I worked. I arrived home from work and tried to get some sleep before the girls woke up for the morning. As I was laying down to sleep, my ex-husband informed me that our niece was unresponsive and needed medical attention. 

When we arrived at the hospital to seek help we were treated like criminals. This moment was terrifying because all we wanted was an answer to this medical mystery.  Our niece was found to have a brain bleed that hospital staff at John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital diagnosed as abuse. I was questioned by law enforcement at the hospital for hours without an attorney present.  I was also questioned by police for 13 hours straight and was awake for almost 48 hours. During that time I was not allowed to eat, drink, go to the bathroom, or breastfeed/pump. 

We explained the limited medical history that we were aware of and the fact that our niece had been in a car accident during her previous foster placement. Law enforcement and CPS refused to listen to the history I provided. Instead, I was labeled as a mother who failed to protect children, including my own. Teigan was ripped from my life by CPS and I had not abused nor neglected her. Since the moment Teigan was illegally kidnapped from my care, I have been fighting to unmask this injustice. 

My trial was held in the middle of a global pandemic. As a result, the majority of medical experts available were on the forefront and not able to be present. I was never charged with a crime. There has never been any allegations of abuse or neglect made against me related to my daughter or my niece. This fact continues to be ignored. My ex-husband was charged with aggravated child abuse because he was the sole caretaker for our niece prior to CPS becoming involved on December 6, 2019. Even with this fact, I have lost years of precious moments with my baby girl that I will never get back. 

Throughout this unlawful case, my character has been assassinated by this system on a mission to paint me as a mother who failed to protect my niece and my child. This false narrative has allowed this system to railroad me and file an expedited petition to terminate my rights. This injustice must end and my baby girl needs to be returned to my care immediately.