Alta. mom 'devastated' after being given the remains of another woman's baby

A grieving Alberta mother is receiving apologies from health-care providers after she unknowingly buried the remains of a baby that was not hers.

Cara Roan had a miscarriage late last month at the Wetaskiwin Hospital and Care Centre about 60 kilometers south of Edmonton.

She later picked up what she was told were the remains of her baby and buried them.

A few days later, Roan received a call from the hospital informing her that an error had been made.

“They said, ‘I am sorry to tell you, we gave you the wrong baby,’” Roan told APTN National News.

“I’m so broken from this. It shouldn’t happen to anyone. I don’t want it to happen to another mom.”

The remains of both babies have now been reunited with the correct families.

"This error was not made at Wetaskiwin hospital, or by Wetaskiwin hospital staff. It was made at the lab," said Kerry Williamson from Alberta Health Services in a Thursday statement to CTV News Edmonton.

"AHS, Alberta Precision Laboratories, and DynaLIFE are working together to prevent this from happening in the future. We are reviewing this matter to determine if [robust] guidelines and practices were followed, and if further steps need to be implemented."

AHS and DynaLIFE both promised to provide written apologies and offered to meet with family members to listen to their concerns and answer questions.

“I just can’t wrap my head around it. It’s devastating. Especially to put someone else’s baby away,” Roan said.

Roan told APTN the error was noticed when the other mother spotted an incorrect name on the paperwork that she received along with the remains of Roan's baby.