Woman Sticks Pacifier To Newborn’s Mouth With Tape: Video

A newborn was filmed with a pacifier stuck to his mouth with a piece of sticky tape, even as he squirmed in a hospital cot.

The clip of the distressed baby was recorded by a passerby Sunday at Republican Perinatal Centre in Ingushetia, Russia. According to local media, the mother of the victimized infant confessed to authorities of committing child abuse because she wanted the baby not to cry in the hospital.

"Those of a nervous disposition should not watch. This is a perinatal center in Ingushetia. The baby is now on a ward in a cold room without any heaters. His mother is not around.The pacifier is fixed to his mouth with a sticky tape despite the boy having problems with his lungs,” said the witness who recorded the clip, Mail Online reported.

In the video, the baby was seen squinting his eyes and shaking his head from one side to the other, as he was unable to free his mouth of the object. The pacifier prevented the child from coughing or spitting out, which could have been harmful for the child given that, he was suffering from lung issues. Another report said the infant appeared to be freezing in the cold cot, despite the fact that he was wrapped up with a blanket.

The muffled screams of the infant could be heard in the video. The person who recorded the video did not attempt to remove the pacifier from the victim’s mouth. The witness did, however, zoom in on the information mentioned on the baby’s cot.

Khadi Ugurchieva, chief physician of the center, denied any negligence to child’s health and instead blamed the person who recorded the clip to have affected the morality of workers at the hospital.

“The nurse was absent from this ward for literally three to five minutes. Just at that moment, this happened and the filming was carried out. The filming did not cause physical harm to the child’s health. But it caused moral damage. It also harmed employees of the perinatal center and also the patients who are here,” Ugurchieva said.

According to a hospital source who spoke to local media, the victim seen in the video was born in September. It was not immediately clear why he was not yet released from the facility. The source added that the mother of the infant should have normally been present with the child but at the time the clip was filmed, she was back home spending time with her other children.

As soon as the video was uploaded on social media, people were outraged. One user wrote, “The poor child has just been born and has already faced cruelty,' said one comment,” while another commented, “I was in that hospital with a baby. It was a horror. I fought with everyone.”

An investigation has been launched, where hospital security is being reviewed and police are trying to determine why the abuse was not immediately noticed and appropriate action taken.