A mum submitted a formal complaint against a hospital after a worker tried to "congratulate" her on her new baby.
She explained how she was attending an appointment and brought her seven-month-old along as it was only a quick blood test.
But while waiting to check in for her appointment, a hospital worker approached her to take a peek at her tiny baby. She didn't take too kindly to this, and asked her politely not to bother him as he'd finally fallen asleep just moments before.
Taking to Reddit, she said: "A woman walks up to me and starts asking about my son - 'boy or girl?' and 'how old is he?'. Meanwhile, he is in his stroller sleeping with a blanket over the whole front so it's darker and gives off the chill, sleep vibes inside the stroller.
"This woman proceeded to lift up the blanket to peek inside at my son.
"I immediately responded with (in a slightly annoyed tone) 'He's sleeping right now, he's been having a rough time with naps during the day so he was very cranky earlier', which is mum code for 'Don't wake up my baby, don't touch my baby'.
"Right after I told this lady that he was sleeping, she looked up at me and said 'Oh okay' really fast in a hushed tone.
"Then she continued to try to stick her hand further in the stroller under the blanket - like she was going to be quiet now instead of taking the hint."
Annoyed by the woman's persistence, the mum "snapped" and blurted out: "Don't touch my baby, I don't know you and I've already said he is sleeping."
The woman added: "She had the nerve to tell me it was okay because she worked there at the hospital.
"That just made me even more mad so I asked her, 'So then are you here to draw my blood too since you work here and you can do everything?'
"She then said how rude that was and how she just wanted to congratulate me on my baby.
"She told me that it was a shame motherhood didn't turn me into a sweet person who wanted to show off and brag about my baby like it does for everyone else."
When it came time for her to check in, she asked the woman behind the desk for a form to make a formal complaint.
However, the receptionist asked her to reconsider, explaining that "lots of people like touching babies here, usually the mum isn't upset about it."
She said: "I was literally flabbergasted that she would say that to me so I turned around and left the whole god damn hospital because I could feel a nuclear breakdown coming.
"I called the hospital later and explained what happened and that I needed to reschedule.
"The woman on the phone apologised on behalf of the hospital and said she would file the complaint for me."
But now she has simmered down about the entire thing, she has been left wondering whether her reaction was a bit over-the-top.
"I do sort of feel a bit bad because I've never filed a complaint about anyone before, but I'm still so mad about the way they talked to me at the clinic," she added.
In response, one user said: "That is completely unacceptable behaviour by both of them. Honestly I would have filed a complaint against the desk worker as well for trying to talk you out of it."
Another user added: "You specifically told her the baby is sleeping and obviously wanted to keep it that way.
"Fulfilling her own desire to touch every baby she sees doesn't give her the right to ignore you.
"Her comment was also incredibly rude and stupid. Not every parent has the desire to go around showing off their new baby to every person they cross paths with."
A third user said: "As a parent, you have every right to set boundaries to maintain the safety of your child.
"I work at a hospital, we have a dedicated patient feedback line specifically for patients/family members to go through to ensure they will be heard by an impartial party, in our case a member of the Risk Management team.
"I recommend you look for that number for this institution, and register your complaint with them as well.
"You may be able to call the general hospital operator number and ask for the patient complaint line, or for the Risk Management department.
Do you have a story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
