Baby Mix-Ups

* Re “News of Prior Baby Mix-Ups Stuns Officials,” Feb. 21: As a labor and delivery nurse, I can tell you the easiest way to avoid possible errors by both parents and nurses with regard to newborn identification: Don’t have the babies leave their mothers’ rooms. Many hospitals all over the country do this, as there is no medical reason for the majority of newborns to be taken to the nursery.

The policies of taking the babies to the nursery are simply done for ease of staffing and because “we’ve always done it this way.” There is no scientific evidence that the babies benefit from this separation. Furthermore, if women spent more time with their babies--which is where the baby belongs, with its mother--perhaps they might even recognize their own babies. What a novel concept!

LISA BERRY

Glendora