A hospital in Virginia, Minn. upset a pair of families when a nurse brought a mother her newborn for breastfeeding – but it was the wrong baby.
Virginia Regional Medical Center CEO Bill Smith told the Mesabi Daily News that the mistake was part human error and part due to a card ID system that has since been deemed flawed.
“Yes, it did happen,” Smith told the Mesabi Daily. “We did an investigation and found out how it happened and have a corrective action plan so it won’t happen again.”
One father said that the wrong baby was breast-fed by his partner, before the mistake was realized.
However, the baby was with the wrong mother for “no more than three minutes,” Smith said.
The VRMC has rid of the card check system and added an audio check method called “Hugs and Kisses” – where if the baby and mother aren’t compatible, a warning will sound, according to Mesabi.