Tragic Induction Nearly Kills Mother - Baby in NICU
By Danell Swim
April 30, 2008
Melissa called us yesterday at about 1:35 p.m. to let us know that she was going to the hospital to have labor induced. This had been something they were trying to avoid but given the circumstances, it was the most prudent thing they could do. I was out of town in Grand Coulee, Washington and so I didn’t get back into town until about 6 pm and then we went down to the hospital by 7 pm and visited with Melissa and Brad. Not much was happening and Melissa was in good spirits and in no pain and that’s how it stayed until we finally left at around 10 pm. Then, at 2:50 a.m. this morning, Melissa called us and told us she was in labor and in a lot of pain but that things weren’t progressing very quickly in terms of dilation and the doctor was going to deliver the baby via C-section. Carlleen and I quickly got to the hospital by 3:30 a.m. and said good-bye to Melissa and then she was whisked off to surgery. We were told she would only be in for an hour and we would get to see the baby. However, we waited and waited and by two hours we were getting nervous. Finally, a nurse came in and told us that the baby was born but that Melissa had lost a lot of blood and was not in good shape. Brad came in then and was obviously very upset and told us how things were for both Melissa and the baby, which was that Melissa got to see her baby but couldn’t hold it and was very emotional about that. The baby’s blood sugar dropped to 27 and had to be sent immediately to the NICU to get her blood sugars up. He then went to be with the baby but got to see Melissa before she went to ICU.
Then the doctor came in and told us the medical situation. She told us that Melissa was stable and that she had lost about 3000 ccs of blood. She said that the normal amount to lose is between 600 and 700 ccs but that they couldn’t get Melissa’s uterus to contract and so she continued to bleed profusely. They tried a variety of interventions but none of them worked and the doctor was getting scared, so she called her partner for a consultation. While doing that, she remembered a new procedure in which a balloon is inserted into the uterus and it helps stem the loss of blood. She said it has only been done a couple of times at the hospital but that’s what she decided to do and it had the desired effect and Melissa’s condition became stable. She admitted to Melissa to the ICU to monitor her and to make sure the bleeding stopped. Because the procedure worked and then Melissa was given 2 units of blood, the doctor felt much better about how Melissa was doing.
Carlleen and I got to go and see Melissa for a few minutes in ICU. She was awake and coherent but she looked like she had been through the ordeal of her life. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her looking so sick and exhausted. They asked us to stay just a short amount of time so that Melissa could rest. Regretfully, we left but our regret turned to joy as we went to the NICU to get the first look at our granddaughter.
I’ve followed Melissa’s blog, and her induction was not medically indicated. It was simply because her baby was getting big, she was “term,” and her doctors wanted to induce. It’s so sad.
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3 Responses to “Tragic Induction Nearly Kills Mother - Baby in NICU”
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How sad, scary and mind numbingly horrible. I hope Mother and baby come through with flying color’s and are able to establish a good nursing relationship and bond. I also hope this mother is able to overcome her scary ordeal.
This is so sickening!
This Poor Mother and Baby!
IMO the doctor should be Required to Go threw a More natural Training so they can learn the TRUTH about Birth.
My Wishes are with this mother and her baby…I hope they do well,
Doctors who induce for non-medical reasons are assaulting their patients. That’s agreed upon around the board. It can be further argued that fabricating medical conditions to do so is unconscionable. Some call it rape.
These instances are occurring more frequently as the primary c/s rate rises, and rises, and rises.