You hear so many horror stories involving baby mix-ups, but you never think it will happen to you as a mother. So, US mum Jennifer Melton was naturally left devastated and confused by what happened after recently giving birth to her son.
The Tennessee mother has made headlines this weekend, after telling local media that doctors accidentally performed an unnecessary surgery on her perfectly healthy newborn son.
According to reports, Jennifer had just given birth to son Nate at University Medical Centre when he was taken away for what she believed was a routine physical. When he returned hours later, however, she grew concerned when the nurse began talking about his ‘procedure’.
As it turned out, a doctor had mixed Nate up with another child and given him a frenulectomy, whereby a flap of skin beneath the tongue was clipped in order to allow it to function correctly.
Despite not having consent from the Meltons, the doctor had signed off on the procedure, later admitting to accidentally picking the ‘wrong infant’.
“Essentially, they took our child who was healthy from the room, and cut his mouth,” said Jennifer, who is now extremely concerned over the long-term impact this shocking mix-up could have on Nate’s health and development.
The Melton family’s lawyer added: “We don't know if the child will have speech problems or eating problems. The concern here is this was a healthy baby that was supposed to leave the hospital, but instead was harmed by the hospital.”
No doubt there will be more to this story, and we will keep you updated.
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