A mother's worst nightmare has become reality. An employee at an industrial laundry facility in Red Wing, Minnesota found the body of a 22-week-old stillborn infant wrapped in linens on Tuesday. The body rolled out of a bed sheet as the employee pulled it from a massive heap of laundry, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Before police arrived on the scene, hospital workers had removed the body and the linens from Crothall Laundry. Officials reported that linens had arrived from Regions Hospital in St. Paul, 40 miles away, two days prior to the discovery.
KARE-11 reports that the baby boy had a tag attached to its ankle and was wearing only a diaper. No suspicions of foul play have surfaced. The hospital claims that it made a tragic mistake and simply mishandled the baby.
"This was a terrible mistake, and we are deeply sorry," said Chris Boese, head nursing officer at Regions Hospital. "We have processes in place that should have prevented this but did not. We are working to identify the gap in our system, and to make sure this does not happen again."
Boese added that it's too early to say whether any hospital employees will be reprimanded and that the hospital is offering counsel to employees of the linen service.
"Obviously, this hits close to home for those of us who work in health care," said hospital spokesman Vince Rivard. It doesn't hit close to home for just those who work in health care, but for every child, mother and father.
Although the infant was a stillborn, it still takes a heavy toll on the child's mother. She may never have had the opportunity to watch her boy grow and flourish, however that doesn't mean the child deserves such improper care. It doesn't mean that there's no emotional connection to the infant. Stillborn or no, the connection between mother and child will withstand the tests of time. No mother should have to see her child treated in such a careless manner. No matter how brief, even if it never saw the light of day, every infant experiences life, and that life should be cherished.