Why This Picture of a Doctor Holding a Sleeping Baby Is Getting So Much Attention

If you’re a single parent–or a parent whose spouse works long hours away from home– then you know that enduring an emergency while watching over your infant is one of the scariest scenarios that could go down. The fact that you are caring for a helpless, little being is stressful enough, but in order to do so successfully, you do need to “take your own oxygen first,” so to speak, and put your health first!

Sometimes this transpires through a frantic call to nearby loved ones, or even a call into 911, but the mother in today’s story actually managed to get herself to the emergency room in time for doctors to attend to her undisclosed medical emergency.

Of course, the anonymous mother brought her newborn along with her– but lucky for her, the caring hospital staff knew exactly what to do with the baby as she was whisked from test to test!

This all occurred at Waikato Hospital’s bustling emergency department, south of Auckland, New Zealand. Hospital clinical nurse Mike Haden-Jones, attached the image with this adorable caption–“Sometimes all you need is a hug.”

The peacefully sleeping babe is actually in the arms of Waikato District Health Board Emergency Department consultant, Dr. Muir Wallace. As the story goes, when the infant was forced to be separated from his ailing mother during tests, a variety of hospital staff members did their best to soothe the baby, but the only person that the little one took to was Dr. Wallace.

Interestingly, the baby must base his comfort level on the title of the “holder,” because Dr. Wallace just so happened to be the physician running the ENTIRE emergency department at the large hospital for the shift. Of course, he’s a busy guy who had countless patients to attend to, but that didn’t stop him from bringing the sleepy baby with him on his rounds. Talk about multi-tasking!

According to Dr. Wallace’s colleague, Haden-Jones, the good doctor carried the snoozing infant around the emergency department for an entire hour, right up until the baby boy’s mother was finished with her medical testing.

Though the identity of the mother and little boy are still unknown, countless well-wishers have taken to the hospital’s Facebook page to show support for the kind act. Personal stories from community members detailing how this very doctor helped them through hard times can be found all over the comments section.

Even Dr. Wallace’s wife weighed in; she said that she was “very proud” of her husband’s actions.

With all of the brutal stuff littering today’s headlines, it’s good to see that the everyday good deeds of selfless folks are getting the recognition that they deserve. To learn even more about this adorable emergency room connection, be sure to watch the video below!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this sweet good deed! Have you ever undergone a medical emergency while caring for a child? If so, how did it all pan out? Do you know of an outstanding medical professional that you would like to give a shoutout to?