Local News in Brief : Hospital May Have Mixed Up Newborns

Kaiser Permanente Hospital in West Los Angeles is investigating whether a mother was presented with the wrong baby when she left the maternity ward, spokesmen for the family and the hospital said Thursday.

Rosetta Kirks of Inglewood gave birth on Feb. 11 and a few days later took home the baby she believed to be her new son, spokesman Shelly Shellmire said. As the days passed, however, the baby seemed smaller and shorter than when first born.

Kirks reexamined the wristband that had identified the baby in the hospital and was shocked to see an unknown last name, Shellmire said.

After several days of “panic,” Kirks and her husband took the baby back to the hospital, where he will remain until the mix-up is sorted out. The Kirks were given blood tests, and Shellmire said the results should show whether they are the parents.

Shellmire said hospital officials told him it was possible that the wristband was simply mislabeled or that the Kirks indeed had been given the wrong baby.

Kaiser refused to comment on details, offering only a statement saying it is “investigating the situation fully.”