Hospital nightmare for mum who woke from a nap to find her sick baby girl missing.

It’s hard to imagine how mum Lory Beth Snyder felt when she woke from a nap to find her four-month-old baby Lorelai missing.

After taking her sick bub to a hospital in Arkansas USA for treatment for a severe allergic reaction, Lory was exhausted by hours of blood tests, examinations and chaos.

So when little Lorelai finally settled and dozed off hours later, the mum was awarded a precious hour to sleep too.

Yet when Lory woke, her baby was gone. The panicked mother claims she left her room to seek help and soon saw her baby in the arms of another woman — a patient.

“When I found her she was in another woman’s hospital room, in that woman’s arms, with a room full of six or seven nurses just laughing and playing with her,” Lory alleged in an incensed Facebook post.

Upon retrieving her daughter, Lory says she was met with resistance from the stranger.

“She persisted that I return to my room, without Lorelai, she stated repeatedly that I needed to just go rest. I told her, no that I was fine and I would be taking my daughter back now.

“I removed Lorelai from her arms, and the nurses who had been standing around gathered up her things, because along with taking Lorelai she also took my diaper bag (which had been emptied around her room), IV pole, and crib Lorelai was in sleeping in.”

Despite being assured by hospital staff the patient was no danger to Lory and her baby, the frightened mother was then followed back to her hospital bed.

“I looked up and saw the woman had also followed us back to our room. She once again persisted that I return Lorelai to her, and that I rest. I told her no thank you, that we were fine,” she wrote.

It was then hospital staff decided to move the distressed mother and Lorelai to a safer, more private room in the intensive care unit.

Mum, Lory Beth Snyder. (Image: Screengrab, Region 8 News)

But for Lory, the damage had already been done - her child had been snatched by an unwell and potentially dangerous stranger.

"I don't know what she herself was ill with, something that could make my daughter sick. I don't know anything! I don't know what her actual intent with my child was. What she did with her. Or even how long she actually had her.

"I contacted the police, but they said no crime was committed because she didn't 'intend' to rape or molest my child. Whether or not the intent of harm was or was not there a child should never be taken in the way in which my daughter was."

Her close call with Lorelai encouraged Lory to reach out to other parents.

"We were lucky. Many parents do not get as lucky as we have. Child abduction isn't something that should be so easily dismissed."

CEO of NEA Baptist Hospital, Brad Parsons, told Region 8 News it's not yet clear how the patient got access to Lory's baby, and said an investigation into the matter is underway.

"We are working with our risk management department as well as the Jonesboro police on that investigation," he added: "Inpatient safety is our utmost responsibility, so we continue to be in communication with the mother."

How would you respond if you were in Lory's position?

Featured image: Screengrab/Region 8 News