Indiana has 98 baby boxes, according to the Safe Haven Baby Box website.
(WFIU/WTIU News)
It’s a Wednesday night at the Faltynski’s house in Mishawaka, and the family is working on homework and eating an after-school snack.
Bruce and Shelby help their 10-year-old, Kaia, go over her weekly Bible verse to memorize for school.
They fostered her for three years and adopted her in March 2022.
A month later, on a trip celebrating, they got a call asking if they would want to adopt again--this time, a baby surrendered to a Safe Haven Baby Box at a hospital in Lake County.
“When we adopted Kaia, we had to have a license, not just fostering, but foster to adopt,” Shelby said. “When we did that, I guess then we were put on a list.”
The Faltynskis look through books with pictures of family trips and holidays. (WTIU News, Devan Ridgway)
“And we were just enjoying that, realizing God had answered our prayers and allowed us to have our families complete with Kaia,” Bruce said. “And when they were contacting us about the safe haven baby, we didn't even know that we were on a list.”
The initial call was just for an interview. They figured their chances were slim. The couple’s original family plan didn’t include adoption but shifted after difficulty with fertility.
“But we were just so surrendered that we went ahead and took that step of faith. We had an interview, and then just a few hours later, [the Department of Child Services] called us and said that they had chosen our family,” she said.
Their daughter, Kaia, loves being a big sister. She teaches Myah new words and dance moves. She remembers her mom picking her up from school and asking if she wanted to be a big sister.
“My mom picked me up and she asked me, ‘Do you want a baby sister?’ And I said, ‘Yes.’”
Myah stayed with a foster family for a couple weeks before being placed with the Faltynskis.
Five months after getting the first call, they finalized adoption paperwork for Myah on National Adoption Day.
Safe Haven Laws and Boxes
Myah was the second child to be surrendered to the Hammond hospital box. She was surrendered under Indiana’s Safe Haven Law, which first passed in 2000.
It’s been updated since, expanding locations and methods for surrendering an infant.
The Department of Child Services reports approximately five infants were surrendered per year between 2016 to 2022.
Last year, DCS recorded 14 infants surrendered under the Safe Haven Law. This only includes infants who entered DCS custody, not private agencies.
According to Monica Kelsey, the founder and CEO of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, 15 infants were surrendered in Indiana last year – eight of them to baby boxes.
Indiana holds the second-highest infant mortality rate in the Midwest, following Ohio.
Kelsey aims to decrease infant deaths, focusing on abandonments through her nonprofit.
She said the law’s anonymity component is key. Her organization has a hotline and counseling services for people considering options for their newborn.
“Whether it be a safe haven surrender, an adoption plan, a parenting plan. We want to make sure that these parents are choosing what they want to do.”
If someone decides to surrender an infant, they can call Safe Haven to be walked through the process. Requirements for surrender vary, depending on the caller’s home state.
“Our program is ‘Will you walk into a fire station and hand this child to a person?’ If they say, ‘Yes,’ then we'll do the legwork for them. We'll call the location, let them know they're coming. We will walk alongside her as she goes up there making sure that she feels comfortable doing what she's doing. If she won't walk into a facility, of course, we're going to give her the instructions for how to use the baby box.”
The hotline received 187 calls from across the country last January, according to Kelsey.
When a baby is surrendered, Kelsey holds a press conference thanking the parent and assuring them their child is safe.
Kelsey said they usually hear from the parent afterward, and many of the people who call did not tell anyone they were pregnant.
Kelsey shows earlier prototypes of the boxes. Safe Have baby boxes is on its 24th prototype. She says with advancements in safety and alarm technology, she is always looking for ways to improve the design. (WTIU News, Bente Bouthier)
After someone surrenders an infant, they can call for counseling and help with medical care, Kelsey said.
Bruce and Shelby are grateful to Myah’s mom. Their day starts early, getting Kaia to school and caring for Myah, who is nearly two.
Their biggest hope is that both of their daughters know they are loved and cared for in many different ways.
“They're blessed that they have two moms and two dads that cared for them in different ways,” Bruce said. “And their birth parents are part of their life and story. So just to know they are loved and cared for.”
“I think the biggest thing, our hope is that the girls know that they're loved,” Shelby said. “That Myah grow up and know her story.”
Safe Haven installed a box in Roswell, New Mexico this week. It’s the organization’s 200th box. About half of the boxes are in Indiana.
