By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer

In a bizarre and nearly tragic error, a baby born 16 weeks premature and pronounced dead at birth was discovered to be alive four hours later when his family prepared to dress him for burial.

According to a report by the BBC, the little boy was born at Asuncion Hospital in Paraquay weighing only one pound.

“The baby didn’t move at birth,” said Dr. Ernesto Weber. “He practically had no respiratory reflexes nor did we hear a heart beat. As a result, we declared him, a premature fetus of 24 weeks, to be dead.”

At that point, the hospital followed the usual procedure, which was to issue a death certificate, then place the baby in a makeshift cardboard coffin with the family name scribbled on the side. The child was then sent home to be dressed by the family for burial.

It was at this point that the unthinkable happened.

“I opened the box and took baby out and he started to cry,” said family member Liliana Alvarenga. “I got scared. I said, ‘He’s crying! He’s crying! The baby’s crying!’ He started to move his arms and legs. I got scared. I was very scared.”

Despite being without critical medical care and spending hours in a cardboard box, the baby was indeed alive.

“That’s when I went back to the hospital to confront the doctors,” said the boy’s grandfather, Guarani Caceres. “They just laughed at us. They asked, ‘Are you sure? The worst part has been their lack of respect. They’re criminals.”

The hospital has begun an official investigation into the event.

The baby boy is currently in an incubator and in stable condition.

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