Seeing one’s newborn for the first time should be one of life’s greatest joys – but one couple in eastern China’s Shandong province hardly felt that happiness.

Their daughter arrived in the world sporting three knife wounds on her face, after a botched cesarean section two weeks ago. The wounds required nine stitches.

The parents have since blamed the lead surgeon for being distracted by a smartphone.

A hospital staffer confirmed the need for sutures to Caixin, but claimed the baby’s wounds were “very very light.”

Speaking with Caixin, hospital head Li Huagui would not specify whether the smartphone belonged to the lead surgeon, nor confirm that staff had been distracted by it during the operation. Li said there is no rule against bringing a smartphone into an operating room as “urgent issues” sometimes require phone use.

The hospital has suspended the lead surgeon, and the parents have accepted an undisclosed amount of compensation, Caixin learned from the couple.

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