Jennifer Melton of Hartsville, Tennessee, is currently planning the legal actions she can take against a local hospital after a pediatrician mistakenly performed a procedure on her baby. The surgical procedure, called a frenulectomy or tongue clipping, was supposed to be done on another baby but was carried out on her 1-day-old newborn instead.
The procedure involves cutting the tissue which was connecting the tongue and the bottom surface of the mouth.
According to NBC News, the incident happened at the University Medical Center in Lebanon, Tennessee where Melton's baby, Nate Harper, was born. After giving birth, a nurse told Melton to have her baby placed in the nursery so she could rest properly.
The 31-year-old mother agreed but little did she know she had just made a big mistake.
When a nurse from the hospital returned to Melton's room with the young Harper in her arms, she discussed to the mother the procedure don on him. The nurse told her that the tissue connecting the baby's tongue and the floor of the mouth had been cut. This procedure is often done on newborns with tight frenulums, a condition which could develop problems with feeding.
Upon hearing about the procedure, Melton began to protest since she never had any feeding issues with Harper. She then took her baby from the nurse to examine him and saw bruising on his mouth.
After learning about the serious mistake, the nurse remained silent. Melton was then contacted by the pediatrician who conducted the procedure through her hospital room's phone. He admitted that he had made a mistake and that the procedure should have been done on another baby. The doctor, however, tried to reassure Melton by telling her that Harper barely cried during the surgical procedure.
"I just sat there and I cried and cried," she said. "They were completely reckless in what they did. They took my innocent newborn. He doesn't have a voice for himself to say, 'What are you guys doing? Not me, not me."
The parents of Harper are now preparing to sue the hospital for what had happened to Harper. They have already hired the legal services of malpractice attorney Clint Kelly. But currently, their biggest concern is the possible effects of the procedure on their baby. They are not yet sure if he will develop any speech disorders or eating problems in the future, CNN reported.
