The fall

Nat had a fall on Thurs,19 Nov 2009. A result of negligence by Surnati.

Below is a chronological account of what happened.

At 10:20 - Grandma left home and reminded Sunarti to ensure that the child gate near platform entrance was locked before placing baby on the walker.

At 10:30 Grandpa prepared to leave. Sunarti was feeding Nat before Grandpa left the house. She went to the kitchen to grab food as soon as grandpa leaves. Continued to feed Nat 5 minutes later and proceeded to complete the chores.

At 1042- Placed baby in the walker and entered the master toilet.

At 1043 - Baby happily emerged into the living room, and went towards the door.

Seconds later- Baby, together with the walker, fell down the flight of steps. Cries and screams followed. Sunarti came running out from the room. Picked baby up and went into the kitchen.

At 1045- Tried to stop her from crying and attempted to feed her water by the glass. Baby won't drink and continued crying.

At 1100 - Sunarti called Madam. Phone was engaged. Called Grandma, baby still crying.

At 1110- Grandma returned home. Baby was coaxed by then.

Grandma inspected the bruises located at left corner of the forehead. No visible bleeding. Nat's chest at left corner was slightly bruised, which we suspect was caused by impact when knocked against the walker.

At 1200 - Mummy and daddy rushed home. Darling was smiling by then, no signs of trauma.

We were so pissed with Sunarti for not following our instructions and always making assumptions! I somehow had the premonition that the accident along the stairs was just waiting to happen as soon as Nat was placed on the walker. We reminded Sunarti time and again to be careful and ensure that she is in the same room as baby if she was to place her on the walker. She never listened! I had really wanted to terminate her employment and send her packing! Bits of me wanted to quit immediately to be with Nat. But we are just not convinced that we could do without help at this point in time and a replacement does not automatically mean that she would have the same dedication as Sunarti who knows and understands Nat since birth?

After weighing the pros and Cons, we've decided not to sack her but played the guilty cards instead. Chris played the devil who shelled at her whilst I played the role of the 'understanding employer' who pulled at her heartstrings and made her feel extremely guilty, making sure that she would remember the incident for the rest of her life.

Message reinforced include :- (1) Do not make assumptions, always physically check that the environment is safe (2) To be in the same room as baby, whether she's on the walker or placed in the playpen. (3) Do not feed baby with water whilst she is crying ( prevent choking) (4) To call Sir, madam and grandma and grandpa immediately should anything happen to the baby. (5) Do not lie or think that she could cover up an accident with a lie.

Fortunately we had the circuit cameras installed, which helped get the facts right and ensured that she didn't lie. We've decided to give her a second chance since she didn't attempt to hide the facts and at least she had the wit to call her employers when accidents happen. I could only hope she learnt her mistakes!! Her punishment? To write a letter of confession to document the full account of what happened.