A man has shared how he accidentally collected the wrong baby from the hospital and sent another couple into a panic as they started to search for their missing child
A new dad has shared his horror after accidentally taking the wrong baby from the hospital – and starting a huge panic inside. He explained how he ‘hasn’t been thinking straight’ since his daughter’s birth, worrying about his girlfriend and their child who spent eight days in the NICU.
Taking to Reddit, he said: “She [my baby] had a mild infection so stayed in the special care baby unit for a few days. My girlfriend came home three days after the birth but we’ve been going back to the hospital to see our daughter every day since. Today our daughter was discharged from the hospital so we went to pick her up. My girlfriend went to sign some papers in another room.”
Admitting he was “super anxious” about bringing her home, he says he ended up walking into the wrong hospital room and put a stranger’s child into his car seat. He added: “I was a complete and utter idiot. I walked into the one next to where my daughter was. Both hospital rooms looked exactly the same and this other baby was wearing a white babygrow and a yellow hat, just like my daughter.
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“My daughter had a wristband, this baby didn’t but I didn’t realise it until later. I put the baby into the car seat and went to reception where my girlfriend was meeting me.” While waiting for his girlfriend, his mum showed up – but knew something was wrong as soon as she set eyes on the child.
She asked to hold the baby and I said yes. She picked her up and said “Mike…” I could tell by the tone of her voice that something wasn’t right so I started freaking out. She said the baby looked different but I insisted it was because the last time she saw her she was in an incubator.
“We continued to wait and my girlfriend arrived. My girlfriend looked at the baby and her face turned white. She said that it was not her baby. We rushed over to the desk and a nurse came with us to the ward to see what had happened. There was another couple there freaking out because their baby had gone. I was forced to admit my mistake.
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“We picked up our daughter and headed home but now my girlfriend is being cold towards me and I feel like a crappy father for not recognising my own daughter’s face. Wish me luck for the next 18 years.” Commenting on his post, one user said: “Can’t believe that hospital doesn’t have a method to prevent this from happening.”
Another user added: “I’m a bit shocked you were able to do that. Each hospital my kids were birthed in had a ankle bracelet that would set off an alarm if you went beyond restricted areas. Also the infants were always monitored. I’m surprised that child was in a room alone.”
A third user said: “I’m a father, and I had trouble finding my daughter in kindergarten because I wouldn’t have dressed her and known what clothes to look for, two years later. It’s not just fathers: the mother had the same problem. They all looked the same. What saves you is that they recognize you and the other children start shouting “Your father is here”. And just born babies are wrinkled frogs, all of them.”
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