Decapitated baby

Updated:   Published

Not a lot of coverage on the baby that was decapitated during birth and the nursing staff that helped to try and cover it up.

This happened in July.

I'm an advocate for these nurses losing their licenses, and being criminally charged.

Specializes in Community health.

Yes-- SOMETHING horrible happened here (a baby definitely died) but honestly we know very little right now.  Wanting to reserve judgement until we know what happened is not crazy, or evil, or heartless. 

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Specializes in Hospice.
melissa.in.san.diego said:

Not telling them their baby was decapitated during child birth is indefensible. There is nothing they can say to defend that action. 

So you believe everything you read on the internet?

The point some of us are trying to make is that all the facts of the case have yet to be established, including who said what to whom and when.  It's a bit too early to organize a lynch mob.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
melissa.in.san.diego said:

Not telling them their baby was decapitated during child birth is indefensible. There is nothing they can say to defend that action. 

That notification is not the responsibility of the unit nursing staff. 

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melissa.in.san.diego said:

No, the bottom line is a baby died. And I said nothing about anyone's license being revoked. Those are your words...

Maam, no. What do you think happens when you conceal in such a manner and in such horrific circumstances. The board will get to the bottom of this, and I'm sure they will be notified. That is their job, not yours to judge. 

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melissa.in.san.diego said:

Not telling them their baby was decapitated during child birth is indefensible. There is nothing they can say to defend that action. 

I've already said I believe they should have been told, though I'm not sure who you're referring to when you say "they." I don't believe this falls on nursing. I could advocate all day long for that conversation to happen but when it's all said and done that's not going to be on me.

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Re other places to read commentary--provider forums.

And they do generally seem to agree that if indeed the hospital and physician were not forthright about the condition of the baby there is no defending that. But there is way more information about shoulder dystocia and how something like the condition itself (decapitation) could happen in the first place/why. I highly doubt this physician just went forth in cowboy mode and yanked the head off, which is sort of what some headlines would allow one to imagine.

Regarding the nurses' responsibility here I feel confident that I would refuse to participate in an intentional cover-up IF I knew that's what was being attempted. It would be zero skin off my back to say hell no, I'm not participating. Let us remember that we do NOT know the details. For example, if I were the nurse for that baby or couplet and my manager came up to me and said, "the physician has spoken with the parents and they are very distraught, they do not wish to hold the baby at this time but would like to see him/her....here's what we're going to do...." I would probably trip over myself to try to swaddle the baby the best I could so parents could view him/her.

I'm not suggesting that this is what happened, at ALL. I'm saying that's ONE tiny example of how the details could be important .

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

The hospital claims that the baby died in utero before the decapitation. The whole thing is just so horrific. ?

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/doctors-weigh-georgia-couples-baby-decapitation-rcna99869

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
Lunah said:

The hospital claims that the baby died in utero before the decapitation. The whole thing is just so horrific. ?

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/doctors-weigh-georgia-couples-baby-decapitation-rcna99869

We'll have to take their word for it.  It's odd that the mother didn't know.  Perhaps she was obtunded from medication?

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toomuchbaloney said:

We'll have to take their word for it.  It's odd that the mother didn't know.  Perhaps she was obtunded from medication?

Possibly. And if the in-utero death wasn't apparent until heading for an emergent c-section, those are often done under general anesthesia. This whole thing is just heartbreaking. 

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Specializes in Hospice.
toomuchbaloney said:

We'll have to take their word for it.  It's odd that the mother didn't know.  Perhaps she was obtunded from medication?

Or having a normal response to undergoing such extreme trauma.

As I understand what I'm reading, the parents are particularly angry and hurt that they were never actually informed about what was going on. Seems like both staff and admin got some really bad advice from risk management.

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Specializes in ER, expert witness, management.
toomuchbaloney said:

We'll have to take their word for it...

Take the hospital at their word, but not the family?

Odd indeed...

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SHH said:

Take the hospital at their word, but not the family?

Odd indeed...

How about both? The two are not mutually exclusive. I'm a lot more likely to believe that the doc and the hospital are making a desperate attempt to CYA. Corporate risk management is not famous for good faith or honesty.

On the other hand, we know that perceptions are often severely distorted during a traumatic event. That doesn't mean that they're lying, just that they don't remember the whole story yet.

 

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