Even though hospitals usually have things under control when it comes to keeping track of newborn babies, once in a while there's a slip-up, well -- because everyone makes mistakes.
Just last week we heard about the mom who breastfed the wrong baby, and today, there's a new report out of Jacksonville, Florida detailing how a mom realized her newborn boy had been mislabeled a girl -- and had even been listed with the name of the wrong mother.
(What the heck is going on with these hospitals?)
Karen Butler was, of course, shocked when she realized the mistake involving her baby boy, Kendrick.
She said, "Anything could have happened. What if they gave him the wrong shot, or if they gave him the wrong medicine, anything."
Luckily any sort of crisis was averted thanks to the fact that Karen was paying close attention to details, which is something all new moms should do while they're in recovery in the maternity ward.
I can remember being a little bit paranoid about my son accidentally being switched with another baby, so I always studied him up and down when the nurses brought him to me just to make sure he was mine, all mine. (Geez. I probably should've lightened up a tad.)
But when you're completely exhausted, and it's dark in the room because you're desperately trying to get a few minutes of sleep before they come and take your vitals for the umpteenth time, I guess it's possible that you could overlook a detail like a mislabeling.
There are, however, a few little tricks you can use to make sure something like this doesn't happen to you and give you the fright of your life.
Keep your baby in the room -- If your newborn never leaves your side, there's really no chance of an incident occurring while he's being moved back and forth from the nursery.
Bring a unique little hat -- All babies are given the same tiny striped hat after they're born, and it must be kind of hard to tell them apart from other newborns at first glance. Bringing your own hat with you to the hospital that has a specific color or design will help you keep tabs on your baby.
Check for birthmarks -- My son has a tiny birthmark on his toe, which made it really easy to identify him even with all of the other babies in the nursery.
Get to know the nurses and ask for ID -- If you aren't familiar with a certain nurse, don't be afraid to speak up and ask her to show ID before she takes your newborn back to the nursery.
Do these recent hospital mix-ups freak you out?
Image via timomcd/Flickr
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Comments 16
If medical intervention is not necessary birthing at home or in a birth center eliminates these types of errors.
It does freak me out. I would say no to letting them take the baby to the nursery.
When I had my son, he never left my side while at the hospital. I don't even think there was a nursery for him to be taken too. Unless the babies need to be in the NICU, they stay with mom.
No. They've always stayed in my room and been easily identifiable to me.
I was mixed up with a Mexican baby after I was born. My mom kept telling the nurses she had the wrong baby, but they argued that she was wrong until a nurse that saw me after I was delivered spoke up and said that my mom's baby was pinkish with almost blonde hair, not olive-toned with black hair. I would so much rather have a home birth if my insurance would cover it.
I worry about it. I want my baby in my room with me. She will be getting an echocardiogram after she's born to determine if the small hole in her heart has closed up, but I want my partner to stay with her the whole time she's out of the room. I hope they can just bring the ultrasound unit into my room, but I don't know if that's possible. I have a lot of questions for the upcoming maternity tour!