Benedictine Hospital officials will investigate the temporary mix-up of two newborn babies in the maternity ward last week, a hospital spokesman said.

The babies were placed with the wrong parents for less than a day before the mistake was realized.

Hospital spokesman Rob Baumstone said he doesn’t know whether it was the parents or nurses who first realized the mistake and he doesn’t know how the mistake happened in the first place.

“We’re looking into what’s happened,” he said. “It’s a process that involves a lot of people and we’ll look into it in absolute detail and we’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

The families involved in the mix-up have since gone home from the hospital.

Process is in place

At Vassar Brothers Medical Center, redundancies are built into the identification and handling process to avoid mix-ups, said Theresa Mulkins, director of public relations.

Before leaving the delivery area and separating the newborn from the mother, the newborn is marked with a four piece identiband, and his or her identity is verified by two registered nurses, Mulkins said.

In addition, a fingerprint is taken from the mother and a footprint is taken from the baby, which are matched with a number from the identity band. The mother is also given an identifying wristband that matches the child’s band.

Once the baby is placed in the nursery, only the mother and the father - or a person designated by the mother - is allowed to handle the child. The father or significant other is also given a wristband, Mulkins said. The bands are checked by nurses every time the baby is moved from the nursery.

Saint Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie does not have a maternity ward.

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