State suspends Ann Arbor woman’s child care license after 7-month-old suffers brain bleed

Child OK, but could have lifelong sight issues, order says

Gavel (Pixabay)

An Ann Arbor woman lost her child care license after a 7-month-old allegedly suffered from a brain bleed while in her care, according to a suspension order from the state.

The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential suspended the license of a woman who has been licensed to operate a family care home in Ann Arbor since 2019.

The woman allegedly called 911 at about 3 p.m. on Jan. 28, 2025, and reported that a 7-month-old child under her care “had choked on milk and was not breathing,” according to the suspension order.

When an Ann Arbor officer arrived, the child was lying on his back on the kitchen floor and the woman was kneeling beside him, saying “Hey, wake up,” as she touched his shoulders and chest.

The officer said the woman seemed “flustered and unprepared” and the 7-month-old was “very pale and blueish,” according to the order. There was also formula coming out of the child’s mouth.

After the officer administered back blows to the child, causing him to vomit, he was taken to the hospital where he was diagnosed with widespread subdural hematoma, which is when bleeding occurs between the brain and skull. The hematoma was on the entire left side of the 7-month-old’s brain. There was also retinal bleeding in the child’s left eye.

The child’s injuries aren’t currently life-threatening, but he could suffer lifelong issues with his vision due to the retinal bleeding, according to the order.

The 7-month-old “did not have a skull fracture, bruising or any other external injuries that would be indicative of a fall or blunt force trauma to the head,” according to the order.

The injuries couldn’t have happened due to “typical daily handling” like burping or the back blows from the officer, according to the order.

The order also stated that the injuries couldn’t have been from “a short fall or a fall from a seated position even on a tile or hardwood floor” or from medications he was prescribed while he had an ear infection.

The pediatrician who evaluated the child at the hospital told the state that the injuries would have happened sometime in the afternoon of Jan. 28.

“The type of injury Child A experienced typically occurs close in time to the onset of the symptoms, which includes vomiting,” according to the order.

When the woman was interviewed, she told a state worker that she heard the 7-month-old make a “spitting up” or “choking” noise while she was dressing him.

“She noticed that he was limp and not responding to her. She stated she ‘tapped’ him four or five times between his shoulder blades,” according to the order.

After that, the woman had called 911.

During the interview, she also told the worker that she couldn’t think of anything that happened to the 7-month-old that would have caused this.

The woman was also interviewed by detectives on Feb. 7. Local 4 has reached out to the Ann Arbor Police Department for comment.

Under this suspension that went into effect at 6 p.m. on Feb. 11, the woman can’t operate a child care home at the current address or any other location and must notify parents and guardians that she cannot provide care for their children anymore.

An administrative hearing will be scheduled. According to the order, the woman has seven days after receiving the notice to appeal the suspension or attend the hearing.