A TikTok mom has come under fire after she filmed herself unplugging her baby’s monitor in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) just so that she could grab a turkey sandwich.
The mother, who goes by Allie Rae online, attracted scrutiny from fellow social media users after she filmed herself unplugging her child’s monitor in order to summon a nurse to her bedside because she was hungry.
In the live-streamed video, she tells her audience: “I’m hungry, I’m going to have to go get me a turkey sandwich. Well, so they keep turkey sandwiches actually in the fridge out here.
“I just don’t want to put her up, she’ll get upset. She likes being in her mama’s arms. I actually could do this. [grabs cable] Look at that. I can do this. [unplugs cord].
When a nurse attends to her call she quickly explains: “No, No. You’re fine [plugs cord back in] It’s not an emergency”, she tells the nurse.
“I just want to see if you can bring me a turkey sandwich”, she continues.
The nurse is faintly heard saying she’s not really supposed to adhere to that request and suggests the new mom takes a break.
Users online were quick to jump on her case on Reddit and Rae received widespread criticism for her actions – which resulted in her deleting her TikTok account.
One user wrote: “As a NICU parent seeing her unhook the baby monitor just so the nurse would come in and hand her her drink, has my rage level as extreme. How dare she!
“This is the kind of disturbing behavior that immediately sets off red flags. Hopefully, the NICU her baby is in is made aware of her reckless behavior. This is just insane to me! I have never wanted to reach through my phone so bad!”
Another enraged viewer wrote: “I don’t think she wants that baby and I don’t think that baby is safe with her at all.”
In a second follow-up video, posted later by the mom, following swathes of backlash, she is visibly more awake, seen rocking back and forth while cradling her baby in her arms. This is when she claimed a NICU nurse said it was OK for her to unplug the monitor.
Addressing her followers, she states: “They made it up! I said they made it up, I guess, they said if you need something they tell you to unplug this. [Reaching down to the cable] We’ll do it right now.
The Independent contacted the hospital in question to see whether an investigation was underway.
The medical facility provided a statement to The Independent: “While we are unable to discuss individual medical cases due to patient privacy restrictions, our care teams do not instruct patients or their guardians to unhook any medical devices at any time.
“That is considered interfering with care and is a serious issue.”
The purpose of the baby monitor is to allow medical professionals to track the baby’s heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, and oxygen levels.
By keeping it plugged in 24/7, staff can check vitals even when they’re not in the room, and ensure that those vitals are monitored hourly or more, if needed, to ensure the needs of the child are met.
Nurse influencer Kara the baby nurse spoke on the incident to her 244K followers stating: “Obviously for sure this was not OK. From the nursing side of it, I know that all of the nurses and all the management – everyone is watching this lady and knows what she’s doing.”
“I don’t know if this person posted this being like ‘rage baby’, I mean just trying to get attention but I’m just telling you, please just don’t do this.”
“Please just don’t unplug your baby from anything if you don’t know what you’re doing”, she added.
