mommies - never let your newborn out of sight!

[Waterdrinker]

Don't mean to sound alarmist...but this is my story. I recently got DD's newborn records. I wanted a copy and need to give them to my new ped (good guy). I went BALISTIC when I saw that there are 4 mistakes on her newborn record.
1. the erythomyosin (eye sauve for std's given to newborns) was checked off as given-- it Wasn't!
2. gbs was listed as "not tested" I had the routine test at 36 weeks, was neg. then tested positive at birth -- and dd was tested when my test was +, she was -
3. hep B consent / refusal form is completely missing! the unsigned copy says "in office." i called the on-call pediatrician for their records and they don't have the form either. Dh and I refused the hep b vax
4. hep B is listed as being given and a date is written down. the hep B was not given!

Mommies...never let your babies out of your sight. DD was never out of sight and we know the hep B wasn't given. now we have to dispute her medical records. who is going to remember what happened 3 yrs. ago? A nursing student friend of mine said that it is a classic case of a nurse checking off routine procedures without thinking. YIKES!
after getting angry to tears, i finally calmed down. now i politely request copies of every visit, am willing to pay for it if necessary.

just makes me sick to think of what is done to babies without parent's consent.....never let your baby out of your sight!

P.S. Because we are our child's only true advocate, I feel that being vigilant is very important. In my zeal to let everyone know about what happened (luckily with a 'happy ending'), I have posted this thread in 3 places. Please excuse the repetition.

[Eman'smom]

I know what you mean. Dd was never out of our site, her medical records of our hospital stay are accurate. However mine aren't, mine are minor, unlike yours but it's still scary.

[weebitty2]

We had a similar problem when DS was born .. although it was w/his doctor's office trying to bill us some ungodly amount of $ for anesthesia and circ .. and he didn't have EITHER

[momsgotmilk4two]

We are the same way in the hospital, one of us always is with the baby.

At least for those particular things, it really isn't imparative that the records be correct. It's not a big deal if they think she had the eye gel if she really didn't, kwim? Hopefully these types of mistakes aren't continuing to happen though.

[Jennifer H]

We also don't let our babies out of our sight. DD had to have a hearing test (at 3am ) in the newborn nursery. I'm sure if I hadn't been there she would have gotten a paci during the test. The hearing screen person wouldn't have read the chart with our instructions for no bottles or pacifiers. We were having some trouble with her latch and who knows what a paci might have done!

[oceanbaby]

I've had some weird things happen as well - not as bad as your records, but still bothersome.

For instance, my records say that I had AROM, which I did not. I remember them asking if I wanted them to break my water, I said no, and a few minutes later my water broke (no exam occured during this time).

One of us was with ds the entire time in the hospital. I need to check ds's records, because I was asking dh the other day about a hearing test. He says ds did not get a hearing test. I asked him if he was sure, and he said he thinks he would remember accompanying ds to a test with headphones and such. But I know our state requires the test. I fear that they came in and took ds while we were sleeping!

Anyway, I wholeheartedly agree - never let that baby out of your sight!

[Ligmom]

I second what the OP said about not letting baby out of your sight. My ds2 was circumsized without consent at the hospital when they took him to the nursery "to take his picture". Never, ever make the mistake of thinking that the hospital will check the chart first...assembly line "care" is what they are all about.

[moon_goddess]

our ds wasnt out of our site at all!!! but i got a bill from his pediatrician for a circ that wasnt even done. how rediculous is that?? you gotta watch out.

[Waterdrinker]

if someone circ'd my son w/out consent, I'd have some penises on a plate! i was a little nervous with a new ped. trying to retract my intact angel, but he left him alone.

[doctorjen]

About the hearing test and paci use . . . I had my last dd at the hospital I practice at. I'm already known as a breastfeeding fanatic, and I made it very clear that she was to have no artificial nipples of any kind. Still, on the third try for the hearing test (she was too loud herself the first two) I let the nurse take her to the nursery while I finished in the bathroom. By the time I got there, I caught the nurse trying to stuff a paci in her mouth! Couldn't believe it, especially since I work there and harp on this issue all the time. The hearing test was finally accomplished with me rocking her in a chair, and no paci. And our breastfeeding relationship was fortunately not compromised.

[Jennifer H]

Doctorjen - I did something similar. Because I was there I offered baby my pinky to suck on. It kept her quiet enough to get a good result!

[its_our_family]

The same thing happend to my inlaws but it was her chart that was messed up and then the billing was wrong.

They were self pay and he went over the bill line by line. They charged them for like 15 of these freezer pack things. He said she never had one because she didn't need them. The hospital refused tot ake them off. So, he showed up at their door and demanded he be given 15 freezer packs. They didn't, but took it off their bill!

[fourgrtkidos]

Originally Posted by Ligmom

I second what the OP said about not letting baby out of your sight. My ds2 was circumsized without consent at the hospital when they took him to the nursery "to take his picture". Never, ever make the mistake of thinking that the hospital will check the chart first...assembly line "care" is what they are all about.

As an RN this is an outrage!!!!! I think you should consider suing. There is a man in NewYork that was suing for this a couple of years ago. I would consider this assault, medical neglect, what ever. Did a hospital risk manager approach you!?? I CAN NOT believe this was done!!!!! Well I can because care is sooooo bad at hospitals but, YKWIM!!!

I unfortunately, have to second the "don't let your kid out of site" in the hospital ALARM!!! Don't stay alone, or let a loved one or friend stay alone in the hospital. Doctors and nurses generally have every intention of doing their best. But, I have to say I have worked with too many nurses who I wouldn't let near me! Most get lazy, as time goes on. Mostly because working conditions are very poor. We are understaffed, underpaid, not treated well on the job, burnt out and sick of nursing. It is a demanding job. To keep up with proper care we need continuing education and most do not have time for "real" classes and take tests on line for credit (where you nare given the answers for the test and never really take a class). Many staff at hospitals are undertrained aids that look like RN's (every person in scrubs) and are expected to perform skilled nursing that they are not trained for.

You need to research any illness you have. Most nurses and doctors are not up on anything new, we know what we know from when we went to school (5, 10, 20 years ago). Travel or get tranfered to teaching hospitals if you can. Have your baby at birthing centers where there are less pt's and the staff knows you and your wishes and each other well. Things are kept up with better that way. And nurses can't cover up mistakes as easily.

Remember, legally, once we document it on your chart. It WAS DONE. Whether we really did it or not. So, nurses can cover up their mistakes by charting the correct thing to do after the fact. You need that family member there with you to witness it was or wasn't done.

Sorry. Hope no other fellow nurses get mad. I just know that the newborn nursery, labor/delivery, peds unit(s) at the hospital(s) I have worked at were awful.

[Ligmom]

Originally Posted by fourgrtkidos

As an RN this is an outrage!!!!! I think you should consider suing. There is a man in NewYork that was suing for this a couple of years ago. I would consider this assault, medical neglect, what ever. Did a hospital risk manager approach you!?? I CAN NOT believe this was done!!!!! Well I can because care is sooooo bad at hospitals but, YKWIM!!!

No, nobody even spoke to us about it except the nurse who brought him back to the room. The baby was crying and I said "oh, he must be hungry" and she said, "he's a little fussy since his circumcision." At the time, I just said..."we didn't authorize that" and she said "oh, well you'll need to talk to Dr. XXXX, and he left already." I did get a copy of my medical record and someone had put a checkmark on "yes" by circ. This was 4 years ago, but we are talking to an attorney.

Sorry for the hijack

[orangebird]

Originally Posted by Ligmom

I second what the OP said about not letting baby out of your sight. My ds2 was circumsized without consent at the hospital when they took him to the nursery "to take his picture". Never, ever make the mistake of thinking that the hospital will check the chart first...assembly line "care" is what they are all about.

Holy S#it!!!!! Are you serious? I hope you sued the ass off anyone involved in this! I am a nurse too and, well, first we don't do circs in our unit and I refuse to assist when I float, but they are always supposed to double check the consent forms before doing a major procedure. Wow, I am beyond shocked. Now that I think about it though, I don't think they even have a consent form in the well baby nursery for circs. As far as I have seen, mom just requests it and a red X is marked by the baby's name on the board in the nursery. That is damn scary if you ask me. Unbelievable. Oh my gosh. That is so F'd up. Wow wow wow.

Unfortunately, since I have been a nurse I have learned not to trust anyone like I used to. I catch my own DR making mistakes with me all the time, mis reading my labs, giving me out dated information, missing stuff. I don't even know why I pay him when I am always the one telling him what is up and correcting him and then he has the authority to write my prescriptions or order testing- always after I have given him the information and made the diagnosis and told him the next step


You really have to be your own advocate and I agree- never let your baby out of your sight.