It reminds me of the article a couple of years ago criticising the lower rate
of epidurals in Tassie. Some of us think that's good ; ) I hope this woman gets
some debriefing and FWIW I always tell hospy birthing mamas to birth in the loo
although perhaps not directly into the toilet itself... I wonder why she
couldn't just catch the baby? Whatever. More media crap about the dangers of
birth. Of course if she'd been at home.. The ambulance is probably a good
indication that this birth was being viewed as a medical emergency : )
J
----- Original Message -----
From: Stephen & Felicity
To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 5:33 PM
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Mum Gives Birth In Toilet - Monash Medical Centre
Yep. A fast, intense birth can be traumatic; but it's also a healthy, normal
event regardless. It all sounds a bit ridiculous and comical. Personally I'd
be thankful for the privacy and lack of intervention that birthing in a toilet
provides! The comment about "not even being offered a panadol" suggests the
Mama wanted a managed (medicated) birth and perhaps she's distressed that she
didn't get that; maybe in time it will become something she is thankful for,
instead. A healthy undrugged baby born effectively from a healthy undrugged
woman (even if into a toilet) is a wonderful thing! :)
----- Original Message -----
From: Susan Cudlipp
To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 5:02 PM
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Mum Gives Birth In Toilet - Monash Medical Centre
Oh Puleeeze!!!
Talk about over dramatising.
Many many bubs enter the world in toilets as we all know - while I feel
sympathy that this woman was unprepared for a very fast birth, I feel for the
midwives who are being blamed for this very normal turn of events.
Sue
----- Original Message -----
From: Kelly Zantey
To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 11:33 AM
Subject: [ozmidwifery] Mum Gives Birth In Toilet - Monash Medical Centre
Mum gives birth in toilet
Jane Metlikovec
January 24, 2007 12:00am
A MOTHER says her baby daughter was born in a hospital toilet bowl and
had to be rescued after staff ignored her screams for help.
Kay, 24, was in the final stages of labour when she was rushed by
ambulance to Monash Medical Centre on Tuesday last week.
In a statement to the Herald Sun yesterday, the hospital said it
regretted "the birth did not go according to plan".
At the hospital, the Mt Waverley mother of two was told to wait in a
standard share room instead of being directed to a birthing suite, despite
having contractions fewer than two minutes apart.
"A midwife saw me when I came in and pressed on my stomach once. Nobody
checked if I was dilated. I didn't even get offered a Panadol," Kay said.
An hour after arriving, distressed and screaming in agony, she went to
the toilet, where she gave birth to a girl.
Her husband Michael, who had become frantic, had hit an emergency buzzer
in panic to try to get help, but he said none came in time so he kicked down
the locked door and ran in, pulling the infant from the toilet bowl.
Kay said she was terrified her daughter could have died, and described
the ordeal as horrific.
"I thought she could have been seriously hurt, or worse. If it wasn't for
Michael coming to my aid, I don't know what the result would have been," Kay
said.
"It was the most traumatic thing we have had to go through. I would have
thought it would have been one of the happiest times of our lives, but it was
terrible."
Kay said Michael pressed the emergency buzzer three times, but no one
responded until after a nearby caterer alerted medical staff.
"When someone finally came, Michael asked why it took so long and they
told him the buzzer didn't work," Kay said.
"I was completely shocked. It is an emergency buzzer. This was an
emergency."
But the director of nursing at Monash Medical Centre, Kym Forrest, said
in a statement to the Herald Sun: "The buzzers were checked and both were
working. The obstetrician and midwives were in fact alerted to the baby's
arrival by the buzzer being sounded from Kay's room."
Ms Forrest also denied the door had been kicked in. "It is a dual lock
which can be opened from both sides and this was the way access was achieved,"
she said.
But Kay said the toilet cubicle, complete with broken door, "looked like
a murder scene".
"There was blood everywhere. I was screaming. It was just horrible," she
said.
The couple are seeking a formal apology, but Ms Forrest said they had not
lodged a formal complaint with the hospital.
"We regret that Kay did not have the birth experience our midwives strive
to provide to all the mums in their care," Ms Forrest said.
"We are as disappointed as Kay and Michael that the birth of their second
child did not go according to plan, but babies have a mind of their own
sometimes."
Opposition health spokeswoman Helen Shardey called for the Government to
investigate: "It is just lucky the baby was not seriously injured in this
fiasco."
A spokeswoman for Health Minister Bronwyn Pike said it was an operational
matter for the hospital to deal with.
Best Regards,
Kelly Zantey
Creator, BellyBelly.com.au
Conception, Pregnancy, Birth and Baby
BellyBelly Birth Support
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