Regina, Canada– 19th August, 2019: A doctor is being sued by a mother who claims her newborn baby’s penis was severed by an intern in a botched circumcision.
The boy was just nine days old when the tip of his penis was cut off during the procedure following his birth last November, his mum says.
She says she knew something was wrong when she could hear her infant son "crying so much".
The mum, who declined to be identified, says she still has the severed part of the penis stored in her freezer in case her son has questions about his body when he is older, fearing he will have self-esteem problems when he grows up.
The woman, from the Canadian city of Regina, has filed a statement of claim alleging negligence against the doctor, his business and an unidentified intern she believes did the procedure
According to the suit, the woman and her husband took their newborn to the Victoria East Medical Clinic, reports The Canadian Press.
She soon realised something was wrong because of the time taken. "It was already taking too long," she said.
She said it had been completed far quicker when her other son had had it done eight years previous.
The woman added: "I could hear the baby crying so much."
She claims a doctor came into the waiting area and was apologetic.
"He came out and he said, 'There's a problem. We have to call the ambulance'," the mother recalled.
The mum claims the doctor told her that the procedure was performed by an intern, and she broke down and couldn't control her crying.
"Someone just told me he was performing some practice on my baby, that's what it sounded like," she said. "I couldn't even talk."
Lawyer Kolade Oladokun, who's representing the mother, said any damages awarded in the suit could help pay for future cosmetic surgery for the boy.
The boy's father said the family doesn't care about money.
"We just want to know if our son's going to be OK," he said.
None of the allegations has been proven in court.
Dr Owen Miller said in a statement of defence filed with the court that he denies acting negligently.
"At the close of the procedure, it was noted that a small piece of the glans of the infant's penis (tip) had been removed with the foreskin," the statement reads.
"Immediate steps were undertaken to treat the wound and arrangements made to transfer the infant to specialists at Regina General Hospital for further treatment."
The mother said a surgeon informed her that her son was too young to have the severed tip re-attached.
His penis is mostly functional, but is disfigured, said his mother.
"It's healed up, but it doesn't look normal," she added.
The mother kept the severed part of her son's penis and stored in the freezer, she said, in case he someday has questions about his body.
She added: "I just hope this doesn't get to that point where the boy is feeling less of himself. We don't know."
Source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/mum-sues-doctor-after-babys-18960721