Babies given to wrong mothers to breastfeed in NSW hospitals
Seven newborns were potentially exposed to serious health risks when NSW hospital staff placed them in the arms of a different mother between 2011 and 2015.
NSW
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MORE than half a dozen babies were given to the wrong mother to breastfeed in NSW hospitals.
In a shocking revelation, seven babies were potentially exposed to serious health risks when hospital staff misidentified newborns, placing them in the arms of a different mother between 2011 and 2015.
And the state government did little to alleviate parents’ fears yesterday, admitting the number of mix-ups could be significantly higher because it has no records for the private system.
NSW Health also refused to reveal the hospitals responsible for the seven mistakes.
Aside from the risks of transmitting diseases through breastmilk, experts said the biggest concern was the psychological distress given the maternal attachment breastfeeding creates.
Opposition health spokesman Walt Secord said parents have every right to be outraged.
“It is a very serious matter ... this is every new mum’s worst nightmare,” Mr Secord said.
“I want them to publicly release a list of hospitals where these mix-ups occurred. The community has a right to know. This is the human cost of the massive cuts to the health and hospital system.”
Stefanie Phillips, 22, of Bateau Bay was shocked by the number of incidents after her newborn daughter Ellie was mistakenly given to another mother to breastfeed in Gosford Hospital last August.
“It really does shock me,” she said.
“I think the lack of midwives is really the problem ... if they are short-staffed the government has to do something about it.
“It hit me afterwards. It tore me up.
“I would not want this to happen to another mother, especially a first-time mother.”
Western Sydney University Professor of midwifery Hannah Dahlen said the risk of transmitting diseases like HIV or hepatitis B through breastmilk was “incredibly low” but “the psychological risk is another thing”.
“It can be everything from ‘oh my God, I was feeling connected and attached to this child that wasn’t mine, what kinds of mother am I?’,” Professor Dahlen said.
NSW Nurses and Midwives Association acting secretary Judith Kiejda said the risk of baby mix-ups increased when wards were not properly staffed.
Health Minister Jillian Skinner said it was “extremely rare” for a baby to be handed to the wrong mother, with almost 100,000 babies born in NSW hospitals each year.
She said in each case the error was “soon discovered”.
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