Better Safe Than Sorry
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A soon-to-be mom of three has gone viral on TikTok for her unique plan to avoid a potential baby mix-up at the hospital. The expectant mother shared her concerns about the possibility of her newborn being mistakenly swapped with another infant and her creative solution: painting her baby’s toenail with nail polish. “Have you all seen switched at birth? Yeah… he’s getting a cute white or blue toe at birth lmfao,” she wrote in her video.
In her TikTok, she expressed that while some may think she’s overreacting, her anxiety stems from hearing about cases of babies being switched at birth. “Whatever works to keep me at ease, I’ll do,” she added, as “Crazy” by Patsy Cline played in the background. Other parents chimed in with their own experiences and suggestions. One commenter mentioned, “I just didn’t let them take my baby out of the room at all. They did everything right in front of me.” The TikTok mom replied that she appreciated that approach but wanted to be “extra prepared” in case her baby had to leave the room.
A user who identified as a NICU nurse supported the idea of the toenail polish, confirming that either she or her partner would keep a close eye on the baby at all times and they would indeed do a pedicure just in case the baby needed to go to the NICU. Many reassured the worried mom that hospitals typically provide matching wristbands for mothers and their babies that can’t be removed until discharge. Furthermore, most baby units, including NICUs and labor and delivery, are secured areas requiring staff approval to enter or exit. New technologies, like digital footprinting and beeping tags (similar to those used on clothing), are also being implemented in many hospitals to further alleviate these concerns.
So just how often do infants get accidentally switched at birth? A cursory online search reveals a startling statistic from a 1998 Baltimore Sun article claiming that 28,000 babies are switched annually (mostly temporarily) out of approximately 4 million births in the U.S. Fortunately, the reality is far less alarming. According to the Joint Commission in Chicago, only eight babies were seriously switched in hospitals between 1995 and 2008 across 4,500 facilities. This is still eight babies going home with the wrong families. “When incidents like this occur, they are classified as sentinel events, meaning they are serious and require immediate action,” said Joint Commission spokesperson Elizabeth Zhani.
While the likelihood of this mother’s fears coming true is minimal, there’s no harm in using a nontoxic nail polish to paint your infant’s toe if it provides peace of mind during hospital delivery. Let’s just hope that the mother in the next room opts for a different shade.
For more information about pregnancy and home insemination, check out this excellent resource from the CDC.
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Summary: A mom-to-be’s TikTok video about her plan to paint her baby’s toenail to prevent a hospital mix-up has sparked a conversation about parental anxieties surrounding newborn safety. While the fear of baby switches exists, statistics show that such occurrences are rare. The use of nontoxic nail polish serves as a simple way for expecting parents to feel more at ease during hospital deliveries.