Baby switched at birth at Sibley

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The haters on here have no idea what they're talking about. This happened in Minneapolis and the other mom did breastfeed the wrong baby. Then the baby had to "undergo a year of surveillance and medical tests for HIV and hepatitis." And that's through the hospital, not because that mom was some so called nut. The author is super lucky that the other mom didn't breastfeed her kid.

Because they didn't know if the mother who breastfed the baby was positive on either one of theses? Seems odd.

Even if the mother tested negative for either one of those, that doesn't mean she doesn't have it. I thought with HIV and hepatitis that there was a period between getting it and when it actually showed up on tests (something like 6 months). So I would think the protocol would be to keep monitoring. I thought that is why they tell rape victims they need to come back and test again in several months to a year.

I could be wrong. Perhaps someone could weigh in. But I thought that was one of the issues that made those things tricky -- that there is a lag in time between when a person contracts it and when it shows up.

Do those things actually pass through in breast milk, though? I really have no idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the personal attacks are way overboard.

My issues: Why would you post the link on here? If we were interested, many of us read the post and would see it.

This should have been a real news article, not a fluff blog piece that was way over the top. It marginalized what the real issue should have been. A nurse made a terrible error that fortunately was corrected. The flames about ebola, formula feeding and all that, made her look nutty. It took away from the important issue of a mistake, despite technology occurred and we need better tracking and monitoring systems, nurses who aren't overworked, etc.

I'm tired of the post doing more reporting this style than actual news. I want to go online and read the news. I don't want to wait 30 seconds for an ad to view a video. Just a quick blurb to know it happened and what steps the hospital is taking to make sure this doesn't happen to another family.

Assuming she is suing, why is she making a blog post? To me, this is far more about her getting publicity for her new book rather than about the actual issue.

To the other poster who had two women come into her room. That is scary and the staff should have been far more responsive. I know I've walked into a friend's room, she was in the bathroom, baby was there and held the baby. A nurse walked in and never once questioned me. I can see how something bad could easily happen.

Also, if I was that other family, assuming she wrote this without their consent, I'd be pissed to read my families story as well, especially being written in the way she wrote it. I don't have an issue with her husband checking with the other mom - hopefully he did it in a nice kind way and that is ok. Both families should work together over getting some reforms in place. But, this was about OP trying to get a reaction to meet her own needs.

This was not switched at birth. It was a hospital mistake and hospitals make huge mistakes and get away with it all the time as we live in a culture where many are rarely held accountable, especially those with money or influence.

OP, thank you for sharing what happened, but next time, if you want a positive response, write it as a reporter, not a mommy blogger. When you are in that 0-4 stage, those things are interesting but those stages are short lived and those of us with older kids are not going to read mommy blogs anymore.

I agree with this poster. Well voiced.

But do you think she really is suing? What the heck is there to sue about? Emotional distress? It's not kidnapping. It's not breach of contract. Negligence maybe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Coincidentally, OP decided to write up her "horror story" in which nothing bad actually happened to anyone, just as she has her first book coming out, conveniently linked in her bio at the WaPo.

Gosh, what are the chances that someone in DC would exaggerate a fairly minor incident with no ramifications in order to get a bit of publicity?

I believe the incident happened. I believe it should have been a serious news article. If you look at OP website, she is a reporter and capable of serious new reporting. However, given the serious nature of the incident that happened, it would have been better for the report to have come from someone else and been written in a professional way and not a mommy blogger fluff piece. The topic is real and very serious, but she diminished the seriousness on how it was written. This is not a topic to joke about. The hospital made a terrible mistake. If it happened to her, imagine what other mistakes are being made and covered up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the personal attacks are way overboard.

My issues: Why would you post the link on here? If we were interested, many of us read the post and would see it.

This should have been a real news article, not a fluff blog piece that was way over the top. It marginalized what the real issue should have been. A nurse made a terrible error that fortunately was corrected. The flames about ebola, formula feeding and all that, made her look nutty. It took away from the important issue of a mistake, despite technology occurred and we need better tracking and monitoring systems, nurses who aren't overworked, etc.

I'm tired of the post doing more reporting this style than actual news. I want to go online and read the news. I don't want to wait 30 seconds for an ad to view a video. Just a quick blurb to know it happened and what steps the hospital is taking to make sure this doesn't happen to another family.

Assuming she is suing, why is she making a blog post? To me, this is far more about her getting publicity for her new book rather than about the actual issue.

To the other poster who had two women come into her room. That is scary and the staff should have been far more responsive. I know I've walked into a friend's room, she was in the bathroom, baby was there and held the baby. A nurse walked in and never once questioned me. I can see how something bad could easily happen.

Also, if I was that other family, assuming she wrote this without their consent, I'd be pissed to read my families story as well, especially being written in the way she wrote it. I don't have an issue with her husband checking with the other mom - hopefully he did it in a nice kind way and that is ok. Both families should work together over getting some reforms in place. But, this was about OP trying to get a reaction to meet her own needs.

This was not switched at birth. It was a hospital mistake and hospitals make huge mistakes and get away with it all the time as we live in a culture where many are rarely held accountable, especially those with money or influence.

OP, thank you for sharing what happened, but next time, if you want a positive response, write it as a reporter, not a mommy blogger. When you are in that 0-4 stage, those things are interesting but those stages are short lived and those of us with older kids are not going to read mommy blogs anymore.

I agree with this poster. Well voiced.

But do you think she really is suing? What the heck is there to sue about? Emotional distress? It's not kidnapping. It's not breach of contract. Negligence maybe?

Negligence. The problem is depending on the judge they'll just dismiss it. We had something happen that was horrible at a hospital, took it to court, and the judge just didn't care about fixing the problem and allowed it to happen. Lots of bad things happen that hospitals wash under the table to protect themselves and their staff that many of us don't go to the news media about to protect our privacy. This is a very serious issue, I'm glad she brought it to the attention of others, but she needs to think about the audience and their reaction. As a whole, very few are in the stage of life where they'd find that piece amusing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, trolls, go find another site to do your damage. This author has been called a b*tch like three times and some person posted her wedding pictures and stalked her husband. And here I thought moms were supportive.

Thanks for sharing OP. I would have freaked the hell out if this had happened to me.

Nobody "stalked" her husband (although that's what he did to the new mothers in the maternity ward). It was brought up that maybe they didn't know what a hospital ombudsman was or how to file a complaint. One quick google search of his linked in profile shows that he has a masters in public administration. So, yeah, he should have known the term Ombudsman.

He's not some hayseed who fell off a turnip truck, however, the OP writes that "At the end of our hospital stay, my husband asked that the switched-at-birth debacle be entered into our daughter’s medical records..."

This is over-the-top ridiculous. The baby was given formula by a different mother and there was no medical ramification of this what-so-ever. So her highly educated husband, should have been able to track down the Ombudsman that morning without harassing women who had just given birth. Sibley didn't change their story. The OP got some information in the morning and more of it in the evening when she asked.

Yes, Sibley should be accountable in acknowledging these errors and in ensuring practices are followed to prevent them. The OP and her husband should have known how to address this issue through proper channels that respects the privacy of other patients.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, trolls, go find another site to do your damage. This author has been called a b*tch like three times and some person posted her wedding pictures and stalked her husband. And here I thought moms were supportive.

Thanks for sharing OP. I would have freaked the hell out if this had happened to me.

Nobody "stalked" her husband (although that's what he did to the new mothers in the maternity ward). It was brought up that maybe they didn't know what a hospital ombudsman was or how to file a complaint. One quick google search of his linked in profile shows that he has a masters in public administration. So, yeah, he should have known the term Ombudsman.

He's not some hayseed who fell off a turnip truck, however, the OP writes that "At the end of our hospital stay, my husband asked that the switched-at-birth debacle be entered into our daughter’s medical records..."

This is over-the-top ridiculous. The baby was given formula by a different mother and there was no medical ramification of this what-so-ever. So her highly educated husband, should have been able to track down the Ombudsman that morning without harassing women who had just given birth. Sibley didn't change their story. The OP got some information in the morning and more of it in the evening when she asked.

Yes, Sibley should be accountable in acknowledging these errors and in ensuring practices are followed to prevent them. The OP and her husband should have known how to address this issue through proper channels that respects the privacy of other patients.

Dr here-it belongs in the medical record.

[Anonymous]

The WaPo changed the headline to "Sibley Memorial Hospital briefly gave my baby to someone else" - they must have gotten some blowback on the title.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, trolls, go find another site to do your damage. This author has been called a b*tch like three times and some person posted her wedding pictures and stalked her husband. And here I thought moms were supportive.

Thanks for sharing OP. I would have freaked the hell out if this had happened to me.

Nobody "stalked" her husband (although that's what he did to the new mothers in the maternity ward). It was brought up that maybe they didn't know what a hospital ombudsman was or how to file a complaint. One quick google search of his linked in profile shows that he has a masters in public administration. So, yeah, he should have known the term Ombudsman.

He's not some hayseed who fell off a turnip truck, however, the OP writes that "At the end of our hospital stay, my husband asked that the switched-at-birth debacle be entered into our daughter’s medical records..."

This is over-the-top ridiculous. The baby was given formula by a different mother and there was no medical ramification of this what-so-ever. So her highly educated husband, should have been able to track down the Ombudsman that morning without harassing women who had just given birth. Sibley didn't change their story. The OP got some information in the morning and more of it in the evening when she asked.

Yes, Sibley should be accountable in acknowledging these errors and in ensuring practices are followed to prevent them. The OP and her husband should have known how to address this issue through proper channels that respects the privacy of other patients.

Dr here-it belongs in the medical record.

Dr. here -- no it doesn't. This is equivalent medically to a nurse giving the baby a bottle.

Now a report made to the Sibley Patient Relations department should be kept in a complaint/grievance file.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, trolls, go find another site to do your damage. This author has been called a b*tch like three times and some person posted her wedding pictures and stalked her husband. And here I thought moms were supportive.

Thanks for sharing OP. I would have freaked the hell out if this had happened to me.

Nobody "stalked" her husband (although that's what he did to the new mothers in the maternity ward). It was brought up that maybe they didn't know what a hospital ombudsman was or how to file a complaint. One quick google search of his linked in profile shows that he has a masters in public administration. So, yeah, he should have known the term Ombudsman.

He's not some hayseed who fell off a turnip truck, however, the OP writes that "At the end of our hospital stay, my husband asked that the switched-at-birth debacle be entered into our daughter’s medical records..."

This is over-the-top ridiculous. The baby was given formula by a different mother and there was no medical ramification of this what-so-ever. So her highly educated husband, should have been able to track down the Ombudsman that morning without harassing women who had just given birth. Sibley didn't change their story. The OP got some information in the morning and more of it in the evening when she asked.

Yes, Sibley should be accountable in acknowledging these errors and in ensuring practices are followed to prevent them. The OP and her husband should have known how to address this issue through proper channels that respects the privacy of other patients.

Dr here-it belongs in the medical record.

Dr. here -- no it doesn't. This is equivalent medically to a nurse giving the baby a bottle.

Now a report made to the Sibley Patient Relations department should be kept in a complaint/grievance file.

I disagree. If a patients falls but is not injured it goes in the chart. Baby to wrong room but no Ebola seems along same lines.

[Anonymous]

The same thing happened to me at Georgetown Hospital in 2001. They brought a different baby from the nursery to my room. Since I have a really light complexion (almost like an albino), I quickly recognized that the Asian baby they were handing me was not mine.

I feel that OP is a little neurotic. While this incident is of concern, her reaction is a little odd. Worrying about Ebola?? Seriously, get a grip!

I can only imagine how this mom will react to another child biting her kid in preschool. Police will be called. Offending child will be required to take anger management classes. An armed security guard will be requested to protect her child. Sheesh.

[Anonymous]

Op you sound like one of these women that is high strung and flips out about everything. Yes it was unfortunate but you're blowing it up. Jesus get a life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Twins that were in the nicu for 2 months. They have volunteers that come in and hold the babies, we got donor milk and formula, so I don't really see this as a sky is falling moment. They screwed up, but different stories from different nurses hardly makes something a coverup any more than playing telephone with 10 third graders is a coverup. And going around trying to find the other mother (2 room numbers on a random piece of paper? I don't believe that for a minute) is just awful - you are fortunate that she was so gracious. I would not have been.

This. My kid was in the NICU for a month, and I came in one day to find that my pumped breastmilk had been given to another baby accidentally (nurse was warming a bottle for mine, got distracted by a family asking questions & set the bottle down, which the family then picked up and started feeding their kid). The hospital asked that I get blood drawn for infectious disease testing to ease the other parents minds, which I did. However, had the family tracked me down on their own and started interrogating me, I would have been pissed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The WaPo changed the headline to "Sibley Memorial Hospital briefly gave my baby to someone else" - they must have gotten some blowback on the title.

Oh that is pretty funny. They should take the article down and let a real journalist re-write it. I'm a lawyer and there is no lawsuit here because there is no harm. The only harm to the author is the article - I would never read one of this woman's books after reading this garbage article.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Coincidentally, OP decided to write up her "horror story" in which nothing bad actually happened to anyone, just as she has her first book coming out, conveniently linked in her bio at the WaPo.

Gosh, what are the chances that someone in DC would exaggerate a fairly minor incident with no ramifications in order to get a bit of publicity?

Luckily this turned out to be a minor incident. The fact that it happened at all indicates that it could have been a major incident. The hospital should be called out for this, even though it was caught. I would note too that even though it was caught, the mother had time to feed the baby. It was an instant catch which could have led to something way more serious.

[Anonymous]

isn't it a coincidence that the very thing OP obsessively feared throughout her pregnancy actually came to pass?