Hospital Probes Baby Switch

Two newborn boys were finally home with their biological mothers after they were accidentally switched in the hospital.

One boy went home with the wrong mother for about an hour before St. Joseph Hospital discovered the error, authorities said Monday.

Correspondent Jaie Avila of CBS station KCBS-TV in Los Angeles reports the mother said the child's identification bracelet did not match hers but she got a call from the hospital within an hour.

"I went to check the baby. She wasn't my baby," said Iliana Bravo. " So I was like this. I just called her back, I told her. I asked her, 'Well, where is my baby?'"

DNA tests confirmed the babies were now with their correct parents.

"We're happy to see this positive outcome and regret all the emotional turmoil this incident has caused," said hospital spokesman Larry Ainsworth.

Four nurses were placed on administrative leave after the mistake was discovered Sunday.

Babies and mothers at the Orange County hospital wear identification wristbands. It is hospital policy for a nurse to ensure that the names of new mothers match the bands on their newborns, Ainsworth said.

However, a nurse apparently didn't notice the mismatch when Bravo received an infant and was sent home Sunday afternoon. Within an hour, the hospital realized the mistake after the other mother noticed her newborn's name didn't match.

Ainsworth said two nurses will now check the wristbands before new mothers are discharged.

The hospital handles about 5,500 babies each year. This was the first reported mistake of its kind in the 70 years that infants have been delivered there, Ainsworth said.