A Secret Baby

Even though she was in her thirties, the patient was afraid of what her mom would do if she found out. The patient had a baby this morning and wanted to keep it a secret, so we all had to pretend that the patient was just anemic, not a new mom.

So that the patient's mom wouldn't get suspicious, we kept the patient on our orthopedic unit, far away from the maternity floor. We lied about the medications the patient was getting. The mom now thinks that pitocin is an antibiotic, rather than a drug that causes the uterus to contract.

The patient's mom lectured her daughter about her poor eating habits and how it was all her fault that she had become anemic. The daughter cried and I said nothing. If her mom was that upset about an anemia diagnosis, imagine what would have happened if she knew that she had a new grandchild.

The patient lived with her mom who took care of her two children when she was at work. The patient couldn't quite manage with her two children, having a third child was unthinkable.

The patient believed that she was two months pregnant and has her first prenatal exam scheduled for next week. When she began having cramps this morning, she thought that she was going to miscarry. An ultrasound showed that the baby was full-term. It must have been a shock.

Not being able to keep the baby and the other option no longer being available, she chose to give the baby up for adoption. She spent the afternoon, after her mom left, going through stacks of prospective parent's biographies. She easily reached a decision. She chose the happy-looking couple who included a photo of their dogs. The patient loves dogs and wanted dog people to raise her daughter.

The new parents were called and told that they are now the parents of a baby girl. The adoption worker who got to make that call has the world's best job. The baby goes home tomorrow with her new parents and dog siblings. I love a happy ending.