BabyGirl0408
Junior Member
My dear wife recently had a baby after experiencing a normal and easy pregnancy. Upon meeting our girl the first time together as a family (the day after) were told by our family Dr. that the Pediatrician and others in the NICU unit all agreed our baby 'showed' signs of having Down Syndrome, and they would like to test the Trisomy 21 test through blood work. Now the first genetic test we had the Dr said could be a false negative, so this came as a bit of a major shock!
Our baby was further tested. Since being told about the suspicion of DS and the tests needed, we have all been sick with anxiety, stress, and depression.
The baby and I share most similarities and I am Caucasian (Norwegian/Italian ancestry). My wife is Mongolian/Chinese – and we have a mixed baby, who is beautiful! We believe the initial assessment came the evening she was born, as mother had received every drug available due to experiencing a tough birth! Baby obviously taking her time to be born, needed Oxygen and must have had some of the drugs which were given Mom enter her system, as she was relaxed, lifeless the Dr/Ped. may say. Her conehead has since gone away after her travel through the birth canal in a ‘natural birth’ with the help of forceps. Regardless, today (one week later) she is hungry, feisty, strong, beautiful, and shows every sign of being a normal mixed blood baby.
My question, due to the shocking news, my wife and I both, including her visiting mother all cried and have been nervous, anxious, and depressed obviously upon hearing this dreadful news and having to wait for the results. I am angry at the Pediatrician and whoever agreed with her assessment. The blood results show negative. We are happy our girl is a normal baby, but for that first meeting with her (mine being the evening of delivery and walking her to the NICU dept. shocked over my wife’s condition in the delivery rom and the Ped. Dr. insisting on a Spinal Tap (Lumbar Puncture) on our baby, and the first few days with her, we were all a nervous wreck! I had to get my mother-in-law sleeping pills. I had to console my sobbing wife to sleep. It has been Hell!
Do we have a medical malpractice suit based on mental anguish? Shouldn’t an experienced doctor maybe instead, watch the infant over 48 hours, as they insisted on due to other reasons (wife’s fever). Wait and see her within a short while to see if there’s a change in appearance, question the parents about the similarities they see as ‘signs’ (everything mentioned I have!). She’s mixed, Downs was once called “mongoloidism.” My wife is even saying these doctors were racist and discriminatory towards our baby/her. It has been a week and our girl looks so much different than her first night in their care.
The Pediatrician has been practicing for less than one year at the hospital, we will cease to follow up with our family doctor who gave us the news, and agree she was rather not compassionate or sensitive at all, and could have opted to mention another time in a office. The Staff seemed to change their behaviour around us ad everyone knew, as they talk obviously. About the way our Dr. brought the news up without ever seeing our girl? Without being more respectful to our feelings, in the privacy of someplace else maybe?
We refused the blood test, but I was persuaded verbally to agree to it. I signed nothing!
The same went for a Spinal Tap they performed on her the evening of her birth, of which they could not get a test specimen after 2 punctures in my babies back! I even heard I could have been arrested if I did not comply and give my consent. Why the Spinal tap, well due to my wife having a fever towards the end of labouring, and we refused, and again, I was told it is in baby’s best interest.
We even lectured the staff how the fever may have been due to my wife’s epidural injection, of which they knew nothing about and it being the first time they ever heard of such. According to Elizabeth Greenwell, a doctoral candidate at Harvard School of Public Health, is where we based our findings. Regardless, we still to this day do not know why she had a fever, even though they tested my wife’s blood multiple times.
Do we have a case? Baby is normal, just fresh and new to this world, she 'showed too many' of daddies traits which to them 'looked off.' Big toe seperated form rest, low hung ears on her little head, hand prints or lack thereof.
Talk to us!
Regards,
Concerned and upset family
Our baby was further tested. Since being told about the suspicion of DS and the tests needed, we have all been sick with anxiety, stress, and depression.
The baby and I share most similarities and I am Caucasian (Norwegian/Italian ancestry). My wife is Mongolian/Chinese – and we have a mixed baby, who is beautiful! We believe the initial assessment came the evening she was born, as mother had received every drug available due to experiencing a tough birth! Baby obviously taking her time to be born, needed Oxygen and must have had some of the drugs which were given Mom enter her system, as she was relaxed, lifeless the Dr/Ped. may say. Her conehead has since gone away after her travel through the birth canal in a ‘natural birth’ with the help of forceps. Regardless, today (one week later) she is hungry, feisty, strong, beautiful, and shows every sign of being a normal mixed blood baby.
My question, due to the shocking news, my wife and I both, including her visiting mother all cried and have been nervous, anxious, and depressed obviously upon hearing this dreadful news and having to wait for the results. I am angry at the Pediatrician and whoever agreed with her assessment. The blood results show negative. We are happy our girl is a normal baby, but for that first meeting with her (mine being the evening of delivery and walking her to the NICU dept. shocked over my wife’s condition in the delivery rom and the Ped. Dr. insisting on a Spinal Tap (Lumbar Puncture) on our baby, and the first few days with her, we were all a nervous wreck! I had to get my mother-in-law sleeping pills. I had to console my sobbing wife to sleep. It has been Hell!
Do we have a medical malpractice suit based on mental anguish? Shouldn’t an experienced doctor maybe instead, watch the infant over 48 hours, as they insisted on due to other reasons (wife’s fever). Wait and see her within a short while to see if there’s a change in appearance, question the parents about the similarities they see as ‘signs’ (everything mentioned I have!). She’s mixed, Downs was once called “mongoloidism.” My wife is even saying these doctors were racist and discriminatory towards our baby/her. It has been a week and our girl looks so much different than her first night in their care.
The Pediatrician has been practicing for less than one year at the hospital, we will cease to follow up with our family doctor who gave us the news, and agree she was rather not compassionate or sensitive at all, and could have opted to mention another time in a office. The Staff seemed to change their behaviour around us ad everyone knew, as they talk obviously. About the way our Dr. brought the news up without ever seeing our girl? Without being more respectful to our feelings, in the privacy of someplace else maybe?
We refused the blood test, but I was persuaded verbally to agree to it. I signed nothing!
The same went for a Spinal Tap they performed on her the evening of her birth, of which they could not get a test specimen after 2 punctures in my babies back! I even heard I could have been arrested if I did not comply and give my consent. Why the Spinal tap, well due to my wife having a fever towards the end of labouring, and we refused, and again, I was told it is in baby’s best interest.
We even lectured the staff how the fever may have been due to my wife’s epidural injection, of which they knew nothing about and it being the first time they ever heard of such. According to Elizabeth Greenwell, a doctoral candidate at Harvard School of Public Health, is where we based our findings. Regardless, we still to this day do not know why she had a fever, even though they tested my wife’s blood multiple times.
Do we have a case? Baby is normal, just fresh and new to this world, she 'showed too many' of daddies traits which to them 'looked off.' Big toe seperated form rest, low hung ears on her little head, hand prints or lack thereof.
Talk to us!
Regards,
Concerned and upset family