Baby who cracked skull on GPH floor recovering well

Ricardo Hamilton, the newborn who fell on the floor and fractured his skull at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH), is doing well, according to his mother, Nyesha Hamilton, but she still fears that he could exhibit effects from the injury as he gets older.

The baby, who is now just about ten weeks old, is doing well, Hamilton told Stabroek News.

She said her son is developing as normally as a child his age is expected.

Hamilton, while giving birth to her baby at the GPH in August, delivered on the floor of the pre-natal ward. She was forced to walk to the delivery room by a nurse and a mid-wife because there were no wheelchairs to transport her. On her way, she delivered and the baby fell on the floor.

Nyesha Hamilton with her infant son
Nyesha Hamilton with her infant son

Hamilton said that her baby did not fall from a standing height but while she was in a stooping position. She also maintained that she told those attending her at the hospital that her baby was coming. Hamilton said that when the baby fell on the floor, the nurse told her to bend down and pick him up. It was not until a day after the incident that she noticed swelling on her baby’s head. The baby was then taken for a CT scan and was found to have a fractured skull and internal bleeding in his head. Surgery was eventually ruled out by the doctors, who said that the baby was too young and that his skull would eventually heal.

According to Hamilton, in early October she noticed that the swelling on his head was completely gone. She added that she has been taking her baby to the clinic, as was recommended by Neurosurgeon Dr Amarnauth Dukhi. Dukhi and GPH Chief Executive Officer Michael Khan had met the mother and baby after the incident and insisted that Ricardo join the clinic so that he could be better monitored.

Hamilton reported to this publication that since her baby’s visits to the clinic, the nurses have told her that her that his condition has improved. She also said that the team at the clinic had mentioned that they may be discharging him from this month since he has recovered well.

However, Hamilton said that though she is happy about her son’s improvements, she fears that when he gets older he may suffer headaches.

The young mother said that all she can do now is continue praying for the health of her child.