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Recently,I heard that there was a baby mixup in a nearby hospital and the baby was nursed by the wrong mother.Are these mishaps common.Has anyone heard about them.Please share your stories and any remedies to avoid this.
hospital mishap
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In our hospital that would be hard to have happen. They check the bands on the baby, mother and father if he is there, each time the baby is brought to the room.<br><br>
Babies are very smart and they know the smell of their own mothers.
Babies are very smart and they know the smell of their own mothers.
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Mothers are pretty smart too. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> ouch<br><br>
I always wonder what the "rest of the story" is with these baby mixups. I knew my daughter by face and by cry before she was a day old. Unmistakeable. I am guessing most of the time the problem is antiquated hospital rituals like immediate bathing of the baby and separation into a nursery, or drugs that make the mom out of it.
I always wonder what the "rest of the story" is with these baby mixups. I knew my daughter by face and by cry before she was a day old. Unmistakeable. I am guessing most of the time the problem is antiquated hospital rituals like immediate bathing of the baby and separation into a nursery, or drugs that make the mom out of it.
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my baby never left our room unless one of us was with him. There would have been no way to mix him up with another baby. We also had our bands checked often.
How to avoid:<br><br>
Well, the surest way is to not birth in a hospital. Truely. There are so many things that can go wrong for baby and mom in a hospital.<br><br>
If homebirth or birthing center birth is not an option, then have one person (best to use dad for this) on baby watch. They NEVER take their eyes off baby. Never. For anything. And it's better if they keep baby in your room while doing this.<br><br>
-Angela
Well, the surest way is to not birth in a hospital. Truely. There are so many things that can go wrong for baby and mom in a hospital.<br><br>
If homebirth or birthing center birth is not an option, then have one person (best to use dad for this) on baby watch. They NEVER take their eyes off baby. Never. For anything. And it's better if they keep baby in your room while doing this.<br><br>
-Angela
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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>momuveight2B</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7996576"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">In our hospital that would be hard to have happen. They check the bands on the baby, mother and father if he is there, each time the baby is brought to the room.<br><br>
Babies are very smart and they know the smell of their own mothers.</div>
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Exactly! With both DS and DD, born at 2 different hospitals....everytime they brought the baby back to our room, they'd have me repeat the ID numbers on my bracelet to make sure it matched with their bracelet. I can't imagine something like this happening! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/greensad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="greensad">
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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>momuveight2B</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7996576"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">In our hospital that would be hard to have happen. They check the bands on the baby, mother and father if he is there, each time the baby is brought to the room.<br><br>
Babies are very smart and they know the smell of their own mothers.</div>
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Exactly! With both DS and DD, born at 2 different hospitals....everytime they brought the baby back to our room, they'd have me repeat the ID numbers on my bracelet to make sure it matched with their bracelet. I can't imagine something like this happening! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/greensad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="greensad">
Bands were checked repeatedly at our hospital - any time a nurse or doc came in or a baby was brought in. I just roomed in with the baby, though, much easier.<br><br>
And, yeah, I knew baby by face and voice immediately.<br><br>
And, also, really, I guess I'd have no problem with another woman accidentally BFing my child or vice versa, in a perfect world where I don't have to worry about hygiene or illness issues in the other baby or mama.
And, yeah, I knew baby by face and voice immediately.<br><br>
And, also, really, I guess I'd have no problem with another woman accidentally BFing my child or vice versa, in a perfect world where I don't have to worry about hygiene or illness issues in the other baby or mama.
This is why my children do NOT leave my sight after they are born! Even though I have had all 3 of my children in the hospital either dh or I 1 kept them in our sight 24/7 I am extremely paranoid about stupid nurses (no offense to the good ones) who don't care about what mom says and just underminds them so I always have dh or I watching them and to me that is the ONLY way to avoid things like this happening.
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at the hospital where ds was born rooming-in is the norm (there is no nursery) and nurses only come in to check on you, and never handle baby unless you ask them to, so it couldn't have happened there.
I doubt they're common, but honestly one occurrence wouldn't bother me too much. I'd be much more upset at the carelessness of staff because if another woman can breastfeed my baby, the chances of some random person stealing my baby are that much higher, IMO.<br><br>
In all my births, checking of baby's and mama's wristbands (and, as someone said, daddy's) was religious, and at the Navy hospital we were expected to double-check ourselves. I've honestly never seen a baby in a bassinette without a name card (though I suppose its always possible to put the baby in the wrong empty bassinette in the nursery), and it's kinda hard to mistake Baby Girl Garza for Baby Girl Martinez, KWIM? At least, I'd think you'd notice something like that, on the mother's end.<br><br>
Too, as others have said, rooming-in was the norm at both hospitals where I gave birth. In fact, if memory serves, it was the default, and they did <i>not</i> take your baby out of your room any more than was necessary. At Kapi'olani almost all routine tests were performed bedside; if that's not the policy at your hospital you can either request it or refuse the tests. (The only one Esther had to be away from me for was the hearing test.)<br><br>
Having the father accompany the baby for the immediate post-birth whatever is also a very good idea. Fathers are always allowed in the nursery with the baby, to my knowledge.
In all my births, checking of baby's and mama's wristbands (and, as someone said, daddy's) was religious, and at the Navy hospital we were expected to double-check ourselves. I've honestly never seen a baby in a bassinette without a name card (though I suppose its always possible to put the baby in the wrong empty bassinette in the nursery), and it's kinda hard to mistake Baby Girl Garza for Baby Girl Martinez, KWIM? At least, I'd think you'd notice something like that, on the mother's end.<br><br>
Too, as others have said, rooming-in was the norm at both hospitals where I gave birth. In fact, if memory serves, it was the default, and they did <i>not</i> take your baby out of your room any more than was necessary. At Kapi'olani almost all routine tests were performed bedside; if that's not the policy at your hospital you can either request it or refuse the tests. (The only one Esther had to be away from me for was the hearing test.)<br><br>
Having the father accompany the baby for the immediate post-birth whatever is also a very good idea. Fathers are always allowed in the nursery with the baby, to my knowledge.
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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>stacey2061</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7999515"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">at the hospital where ds was born rooming-in is the norm (there is no nursery) and nurses only come in to check on you, and never handle baby unless you ask them to, so it couldn't have happened there.</div>
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Same here, and this is a big city hospital. Why would your baby have to leave your room without a parent??
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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>stacey2061</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7999515"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">at the hospital where ds was born rooming-in is the norm (there is no nursery) and nurses only come in to check on you, and never handle baby unless you ask them to, so it couldn't have happened there.</div>
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Same here, and this is a big city hospital. Why would your baby have to leave your room without a parent??
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DS never left my side...or my chest really <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> If they needed to check him out for something they came to my room. DS never went to the nursery.
I don't understand how things like this can happen these days! The nurses always check the baby's band, and the mother's band before handing the baby over. A nurse is assigned to take care of ONE baby at a time...take baby from room to nursery, do vitals, bring baby back and check bands to be 100% sure.<br>
For me, I request full rooming in, and for them to do what they need to do in my room. The only thing I let them take my baby for was the PKU and Ped. assesment, which was done t the same time. When they brought my baby's back, they checked our bands to make sure. I also knew what my babies looked like, and what they were wearing....I put them in their own clothes.
For me, I request full rooming in, and for them to do what they need to do in my room. The only thing I let them take my baby for was the PKU and Ped. assesment, which was done t the same time. When they brought my baby's back, they checked our bands to make sure. I also knew what my babies looked like, and what they were wearing....I put them in their own clothes.
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How odd for that to happen. I mean, it just seems like mom would recognize her own kid!<br><br>
When ds was born it was a small hospital in a small Texas town. He was the ONLY baby born that night and a new mom didn't come in until the day we were leaving, so he was the only baby in the nursery for 3 days. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile"> No mix-ups there!<br><br>
His birth was awful, but the hospital stay itself was fine. I was only bothered that they gave him a bottle of sugar water (he was 9lb 8oz).<br><br>
I only home birth now. No baby mixups that way. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile">
When ds was born it was a small hospital in a small Texas town. He was the ONLY baby born that night and a new mom didn't come in until the day we were leaving, so he was the only baby in the nursery for 3 days. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile"> No mix-ups there!<br><br>
His birth was awful, but the hospital stay itself was fine. I was only bothered that they gave him a bottle of sugar water (he was 9lb 8oz).<br><br>
I only home birth now. No baby mixups that way. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile">
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That sounds really weird.<br><br>
We roomed in, bands were checked every time the baby had to leave the room, even though at least one of us always went with him. He also always had to travel in his bassinet thingy with his name on it. The hospital we were at didn't even have one of those nurseries with the babies in rows in front of a window (Maybe those are a thing of the past? Hopefully!). The "nursery" was a little room where they did the exams, baths, and circs. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/greensad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="greensad"> I never once saw a baby just hanging out in there for no reason, in fact we were always alone with our baby and the nurse/pediatrician. They would have to try pretty hard to get babies mixed-up at the hospital I was at.<br><br>
I also could not imagine mistaking another baby for my own, but I didn't have any drugs. Maybe if you were all doped up or something...
We roomed in, bands were checked every time the baby had to leave the room, even though at least one of us always went with him. He also always had to travel in his bassinet thingy with his name on it. The hospital we were at didn't even have one of those nurseries with the babies in rows in front of a window (Maybe those are a thing of the past? Hopefully!). The "nursery" was a little room where they did the exams, baths, and circs. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/greensad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="greensad"> I never once saw a baby just hanging out in there for no reason, in fact we were always alone with our baby and the nurse/pediatrician. They would have to try pretty hard to get babies mixed-up at the hospital I was at.<br><br>
I also could not imagine mistaking another baby for my own, but I didn't have any drugs. Maybe if you were all doped up or something...
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