Mom saves fussy baby's life after taking child to 3rd hospital despite 2 others insisting all was OK

Bill Ritter Image
Thursday, August 31, 2023
Mom takes baby to 3 hospitals before child given life-saving care
The mother of a 5-month-old girl knew something was wrong with her baby despite what some doctors were telling her.

UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- The mother of a 5-month-old girl knew something was wrong with her baby despite what some doctors were telling her.

Faustina Cavero said she could see the glow was gone from her baby girl's face.

"I'm like 'Oh my god.' I know something is wrong with my baby, her eyes are rolling back,'" Cavero said.

Out of nowhere, Faustina says her 5-month-old daughter Aaliyah's face turned pale serious and then she began to spasm.

"She was just crying and fussy, and I'm like 'Mom she's making these moves, but I don't know what's wrong with her,'" Cavero said.

The mother of four had never seen something like this, so she took her to a hospital where she says she was quickly dismissed.

"They had told me I was under stress because I didn't get no sleep," Cavero said.

So she got a second opinion.

"I told them I took her to this hospital and they told me I was under stress," Cavero said.

Discouraged and scared, Faustina took Aaliyah home, but the spasms didn't stop.

Faustina trusted her gut and decided to seek a third opinion at Mount Sinai on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

"when I went in there, showed her the video, and that's when she said she's getting admitted," Cavero said.

Aaliyah was admitted on that day, and a team of doctors quickly got to work.

A helpless Faustina could only watch and worry.

"My baby. I want god to take me and not my baby," Cavero said.

Doctors hooked up a device to monitor brain activity.

The results showed Aaliyah needed immediate treatment or she might not be able to walk or talk.

Aaliyah was treated for infantile spasms and continues to receive care and monitoring at Mount Sinai.

Fast forward about a year and a half later and Aaliyah is thriving and will soon celebrate her second birthday.

A grateful Faustina hopes her story serves as a message and a warning for every parent.

"A mother always knows. I just hope it helps every mother," Cavero said.

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