Move over, Britney and Jacko: it seems that normal people drop their babies, too. A fair number, in fact, and often in hospitals. Now a national healthcare provider wants to investigate falls involving babies, to see what can be done to prevent them. According to an article in the Portland Oregonian, folks in the Providence hospital chain in that state reported some 20 baby falls annually, but it's suspected that the number is under-reported due to embarrassment by the adults involved. In the vast majority of cases, the baby is just fine.
The article goes on to report that a study in the journal Pediatrics projected national baby-falling numbers in the 600-700 range annually, and went on to report on the specifics of the 14 accidents reported in a hospitals in Utah (all the babies were fine, though one did sustain a skull fracture):
Number of babies delivered unexpectedly, directly onto the floor: 2
Number of babies droped by delivery-room doctor: 2
Number of babies launched from hospital bassinets when hitting a bump in the floor: 2
The remaining eight falls were from the arms of a sleeping parent, typically the mother. Naturally, the hospital chain is looking into structural or policy changes that can lessen the number of baby falls, whether by providing better parent education on the need to return a child to the bassinet before they nod off themselves, or by implementing changes in bed and room design to make such (inevitable, exhausted parent) lapses less potentially harmful.
In the meantime, for those moms and dads who have accidentally let junior hit the floor: welcome to parenthood! It may be the first time you inadvertently do something dumb (but ultimately harmless) to your kid, but it certainly won't be the last.
Related (but seriously, way worse): Baby Dies During Game of Airplane
