Mother Notices Difference in Baby's Appearance While Watching Bebecam
Center Admits Staff Error, Offers Full Refund and Measures to Prevent Recurrence
There is growing controversy after a newborn was temporarily switched with another mother's baby at a postpartum care center in Cheongju. The center has admitted staff error and offered a refund along with measures to prevent recurrence, but the mother has reported experiencing severe anxiety and anger, to the extent that she continued to conduct paternity tests until recently.
According to Yonhap News Agency on November 19, Mother A discovered something unusual while checking the nursery through the "Bebecam" (a CCTV system for the nursery) on her mobile phone around 11 a.m. on August 31. The baby's face on the screen looked completely different from her own 8-day-old daughter.
Feeling that something was wrong, Mother A immediately went to the nursery and asked the staff to check on her baby. Shortly after, a staff member gave her the shocking explanation that "the baby was switched with another mother's baby." A said, "The baby I saw the previous day looked so different that I went down thinking it couldn't be, but it really wasn't my child," adding, "My heart still pounds when I think about that moment."
What was even more shocking was that the center had taken A's baby to another mother's room, and that mother had even breastfed the baby. The other mother also sensed that the baby's appearance had changed, but reportedly did not suspect that the babies had been switched.
After receiving a written statement from the center promising to take full responsibility for any issues arising from breast milk consumption, A and her husband left the facility. However, unable to trust the center's management system, A continued to conduct paternity tests until recently, even after leaving the facility.
A said, "If I hadn't noticed, who knows how long the babies would have been switched?" She added, "At a time when we should have been showering our baby with love, both my husband and I were in shock and under a lot of stress." She continued, "I never imagined that something like a newborn switch could happen in this day and age," expressing ongoing anxiety about a possible recurrence.
Center Explains: "Mistake Occurred Due to Name Tag Falling Off"
The postpartum care center admitted that around 8 to 9 a.m. that morning, while staff were changing diapers and performing hygiene care, the name tag attached to the baby's swaddle fell off. During the process of reattaching it, the two babies were accidentally switched.
A representative from the center stated, "It is true that the babies were switched for a short period, but newborns always wear ankle bands with personal information, so a final mix-up is impossible." The representative added, "We have strictly warned our staff, changed the system so that only the ankle band is used for identification instead of name tags, and provided a full refund of the care fees as well as covering the cost of the paternity tests."
A and her husband also filed a complaint with the local public health center, but the center reportedly responded on November 13 that "under the relevant laws, this is not subject to administrative action," and only issued administrative guidance.
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