Baby, what's your disc number?

by Nisansala R. Aryachandra

Can you believe it, that not a second (maybe a minute or two afterwards... not really sure!) after birth that we are held upside down and shown to our parents...just so that they know what sex we are! Well, at least - it's better than going home with some other parents.

It is a fact that we don't bring our names at birth. It may seem trivial now, but at birth, it was a 'tag' tied around your little wrists that occasioned the hospital staff and yes, your mother too - to recognise you during that short period, after giving you birth. Castle Street Hospital for Women, Ward 4 Sister-in-charge G.H.M De Silva explained the significance of this disc number, as it is 'properly' called. Its sole purpose, is to ID us newborns.

"...as soon as a baby comes out... we have what we call disc numbers, one for the mother and the other for the baby (in two sizes) bearing the same number...usually it is made out of cardboard, round in shape...we show this disc number to the mother and ask her whether the two numbers are the same, if she says 'yes' - then and then only, is the umbilical cord cut!!"

Castle Street Hospital Director Dr. Wimal Karandagoda further stressed its importance saying "when a baby is born prematurely, all medication is given according to the disc number - in short, medical attention is decided according to this number".

However, there have been rare incidences where certain mothers prefer one baby over the other, and at later times they claim their child was a boy, and not a girl or vice versa. Sister De Silva says: "It is this number, at these times that serves as the only legal point to prove, and recognise the identity and the relationship of the child to his or her parents."

In a way, the upside down 'hang' isn't so bad when you hear these things...maybe it should be done a number of times by the hospital staff asking the mother "are you sure, sure..." etc.,?