Postpartum Care Helper Drops Newborn on Floor with a 'Thud,' Tells Mother "It's Just Your Phone That Fell"

CT Scan Results Indicate Concussion Findings

A postpartum caregiver dropping a newborn on the floor struggles with the mother / Photo by SBS Broadcasting Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Controversy has erupted after a postpartum caregiver dropped a newborn less than 20 days old on the floor and then deceived the mother by saying, "It was not the baby but the cellphone that fell." The baby, who hit their head on the floor, was diagnosed with a concussion by a doctor.

According to SBS on the 4th, last month on the 9th, postpartum caregiver A dropped the baby due to carelessness while taking care of the baby at a mother's house.

In the released closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the living room inside the house, A can be seen placing the baby precariously on the sofa and then handling a cellphone when the baby falls headfirst onto the floor.

After hearing a thud, the startled mother B rushed out of the room and said she would take the baby to the hospital. However, A told B, "If there is something wrong, the baby will vomit and cry. I will observe," insisting there was no need to go to the hospital.

However, B repeatedly urged A, saying, "I will check the baby's condition, so please give me the baby quickly," and "I will take care of it whether we go to the hospital or do something else." A responded with absurd excuses such as, "Don't let the baby hear the mother's crying," and "It was the cellphone that fell, not the baby. The baby is already trying to sleep."

Later, the baby's parents took the baby to the hospital belatedly, and a computed tomography (CT) scan showed signs of a concussion.

Regarding this, the baby's father C told SBS, "Since the skull was still open when the baby fell, symptoms such as brain hemorrhage may gradually appear in the future," and explained, "The baby frequently shows mild vomiting symptoms."

A is said to have been sent by a postpartum caregiver dispatch agency supported by the government and local governments. C expressed frustration, saying that although the agency A belonged to was government-supported, when a safety accident actually occurred, the agency only responded by telling them to contact the insurance company they were enrolled with.

C said, "Even though they have the title of receiving government support, I have continuously experienced situations where secondary damage keeps occurring when harm happens," and added, "I hope this does not happen repeatedly to other families."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has been supporting postpartum caregivers through the Maternal and Newborn Health Care Support Project since 2006.