Trying to keep a long story short. Baby is mixed race and no one has ever questioned whether baby was mine before as she looks like us although more white than asian. Nanny is white. We are in hospital with a very distressed baby who only wants to be in my arms and we are waiting for some help. A&E notes talk about accident where both mum and nanny present. Doctor 1 comes into the room and starts talking to nanny as if she was mum even though baby clearly with me. I stop her questioning and say I'm mum as nanny would not have been able to answer these questions. No apology just a quizzical look. Later as we wait for further treatment, baby even more distressed and DH now present, Doctor 2 comes in and asks who is who. We introduce ourselves as mum and dad and then Doctor 2 (Asian) proceeds to talk to nanny as if mum. I say again quite firmly that I am mum. No apology. This time I'm quite cross as baby again in my arms and yet doctor simply ignored me when she walked in. Should I raise this unconscious bias with the hospital so their staff are thought to be more respectful and less racist even if its without malice?
MNHQ have commented on this thread
AIBU?
To want to raise unconscious racism issue with the hospital?
funnyface80 · 11/04/2017 20:51
Doesn't sound like racism to me sounds like doctors not listening as usual. However why, If mum and dad are present, is the nanny also there? 
it's a whole other world to me!
Just wanted to expand on my initial question funnyface. I understand you 100%. My children are mixed white/Asian and look white. I'm the white parent. My husband has, more than once had people comment on the photo on his desk: "cute kids! Whose are they?" Which is funny but also really fucking stupid. Why would he have a photo of someone else's kids on his desk? 
People just can't get their heads around white-looking mixed race kids. It's like they believe it isn't possible for a brown skinned person to be the parent of a white skinned child.
Annoying, yes. Ignorant, yes. But not racist exactly. Totally understand why you're pissed off though 
Oh it's pretty likely that they assumed OP was the nanny because she's brown.
You might like this article, in which Robyn Wilder Heritage complains that people think she's her son's au pair because she's brown and he's white 
www.the-pool.com/life/parenting-honestly/2016/35/up-with-the-kids-robyn-wilder-on-being-mistaken-for-an-au-pair
Sorry that happened to you. I don't think it's racism either just staff not paying attention!
My friend has a mixed raced baby (she's Irish and dad is Ghanaian) and this sort of thing would happen to her all the time! People would assume she was the childminder as her DD has very dark skin.
I too have a mixed race baby I'm black and dad is white and, interestingly, no one has ever questioned me or DS' dad.
I know it's frustrating but slowly people are becoming clued up to the wonderful rainbow nation we live in. We all jus need to continue to educate
I'd raise it with the hospital - not as a complaint as such, more as a training issue.
I hope your baby is OK now - it sounds very stressful .
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