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Nurse sacked after video reveals 'heartbreaking' act with newborn baby

The video has enraged the child's family who are calling for action.

WARNING—GRAPHIC CONTENT Disturbing video shows the sickening moment a nurse appears to pick up a newborn baby before slamming him back down into a bassinet with force.

The father of the two-day-old watched on in horror as the incident unfolded at a New York hospital on February 6.

The baby's grandmother told local news station News 12 that her grandson was "handled like a ragdoll" as the infant's father filmed his son through a closed curtain. The child was being treated with antibiotics at the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit when it occurred, NBC New York reported.

The baby was seen being flipped aggressively onto his stomach through a gap in the NICU's curtain. Source: News12
The baby was seen being flipped aggressively onto his stomach through a gap in the NICU's curtain. Source: News12

Confronting act captured on video: 'It's heartbreaking'

The video shows the baby being picked up, flipped around and slammed back down onto its face. "I didn't know what to do with myself," the grandmother said after seeing the footage.

The child's father reported the incident to the hospital right away and the nurse in question was reportedly sent home.

"It was heartbreaking. I couldn’t stop crying. I couldn’t even sleep," the baby's mother told NBC New York, admitting she approached the nurse. "I told her, ‘I don’t want you to touch my child! You just slammed him'," she said

Nurse terminated after investigation

Catholic Health Services who runs Good Samaritan University Hospital told local media that "swift and immediate action was taken" after being made away of what happened, including an investigation that led to the nurse's employment being terminated.

The nurse was also reported to the Department of Health "for further review", a statement read. "Keeping our patients safe remains our paramount concern," the hospital chain added.

The baby was roughly handled in the IVU at Good Samaritan University Hospital.
The nurse was fired from the Good Samaritan University Hospital in New York after slamming the baby. Source: Google Images

They also explained it's "standard procedure to have curtains in the neonatal ICU to provide privacy for the patients and their families". They said immediate family members are permitted inside the neonatal ICU to spend time with their loved ones.

Despite the ordeal, the baby is in good health and is doing fine, the family confirmed but said "more needs to be done" so other babies don't endure the same mistreatment.

"We don't know how many babies she did that to," the infant's grandmother said. "They have practices. They train for this, they do this and to see that, it was just incredible. I'm so happy they did say that they fired her, hopefully, this never happens again."

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