WARNING: This story contains an image some readers may find disturbing.
Tracy Louie had an immediate feeling in the pit in her stomach the moment she heard her newborn, Kenneth, let out an ear-piercing cry in Victoria General Hospital.
According to the Victoria woman, a nurse was checking her son’s blood sugar levels on Dec. 13, just three days after he was born. Louie said the nurse placed a hot cloth around his right foot, which had been done three to four times a day.
Within hours, baby Kenneth had developed bright red blisters on his ankle and foot, with several bubbles of fluid underneath the three-day-old’s skin.
Louie, 31, says after telling hospital staff what happened, they questioned whether she had “scraped him on something.”
“I was outraged that they would assume it wasn’t the nurse, but me,” said the mother of five.
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Louie said she’s never had any issues when delivering her older children at Victoria General Hospital.
Island Health confirmed it is aware of the incident and are in close contact with the family.
“We acknowledge how distressing this situation is for the family and we are doing everything we can to determine what happened and how we can prevent this from happening again,” a spokesperson said.
Louie was released from the hospital with her 11-day-old on Monday morning. She expects to return for a hospital visit in the next week for Kenneth’s burns.
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Newborn Kenneth Louie received burns along his right foot and ankle while at Victoria General Hospital. His mother, Tracy Louie, says he is slowly recovering and will return to the hospital for a check up in a week. (Tracy Louie photo)
Newborn Kenneth Louie received burns along his right foot and ankle while at Victoria General Hospital. His mother, Tracy Louie, says he is slowly recovering and will return to the hospital for a check up in a week. (Tracy Louie photo)
Island Health says they are in close contact with a family of a newborn baby who received burns while in care at Victoria General Hospital. (Black Press Media file photo)
