Baby mix-up mom might sue

THE parents of a newborn baby mistakenly given to the wrong mother have not yet ruled out suing the hospital where the mix-up occurred.

Teresa McGrath, 22, and her 30-year-old partner Marcus Sweeney are still considering taking action against St Finbarr’s Hospital in Cork, after a mix-up in the nursery led to a same-surname mother feeding Teresa McGrath’s child.

Teresa spent a day bonding with the wrong child, after the baby boy was wheeled in a cot to her ward by a member of the nursing staff, the day after she had given birth.

The babies were born within four and a half hours of each other a week ago.

Yesterday Teresa, now back home in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, said Marcus jnr, was doing fine, but that she was still traumatised.

“I am still really mad over the breast feeding and at this stage I am just waiting for a DNA test to be done so that we can put all of this behind us,” she said.

The hospital last week offered both mothers a DNA test and a spokeswoman for the Southern Health yesterday (SHB) confirmed that DNA paternity test kits, not available in Ireland, had arrived from Britain.

Teresa said her partner would be taking the test, but that it was just a formality, that she knew Marcus was her son.

The SHB refused to say whether the other Cork family involved in the mix-up would be availing of the test. The spokeswoman would only say that if they did chose to take it, it would involve taking either a blood sample or a buccal swab - a swab from inside the mouth - and that results should be known in 10-14 days.

Teresa said she had not been in contact with the other mother since the mistake had been uncovered, after Teresa spotted a discrepancy on the baby tag and the correct babies were returned to their respective mums.

“I have not been in contact and I don’t want to be, the whole notion of another woman breast-feeding my baby is too upsetting and if I met her again, it’s all I’d be thinking of.”

After spending a night or two at her parents house in Mitchelstown since leaving the hospital last Friday, Teresa said she is feeling much better.

Marcus snr, her partner, has calmed down she said, after his initial shock at the mix-up. “He was very angry that night in the hospital, but he’s ok now, he visits Marcus everyday and they’re getting on great. Marcus jnr looks just like his dad.”

The other family has so far not commented on the mix-up error.