Emma drove from her home in Gladstone to Rockhampton Hospital on Friday last week, after she went into labour. She approached the hospital but was turned away.
According to Emma’s family, she went to the hospital again the next day. Twice. But was sent away on both occasions.
Then on Monday, Emma went to the hospital once more but was apparently told her contractions were not yet close enough together to warrant her admission. Then on Tuesday morning Emma felt her unborn baby stop kicking, stop shifting, stop moving at all.
She went to the hospital again that afternoon, terrified that something was wrong.
Emma’s aunt Sue Bishop explained to The World Today what happened next:
Rockhampton Hospital
They said we don’t have a bed. You’re going to go away and come back at 8pm. ‘Cause she doesn’t live in Rockhampton and they hadn’t progressed to another motel room, she went out and sat at the doorstep and waited for four hours and went back in eight o’clock. At 8pm they actually did a monitor of the baby’s heart and they told her he’s dead.
Four separate investigations have now been launched into what happened to Emma and her unborn child. The story is already the subject of countless media reports. Fingers are being pointed. Blame is being laid. Everyone wants to know how a perfectly healthy woman and what has been described as a ‘model pregnancy’ could go so horribly wrong.
Emma and her family are obviously shattered. And they are also angry. Her aunt Sue Bishop continued in her response to The World Today by explaining that:
It was a perfectly healthy baby that was let down by incompetent humans. If they’d have induced her on Monday afternoon at that four o’clock appointment, after she’d already been in labour for three and a half days, if they’d have induced her then they’d have delivered a live baby.
Bed shortages in hospitals around the country have been the subject of ongoing criticism from medial practitioner and midwifery organisations. Drastic cuts to health services in Queensland have been pointed to as part of the problem. Sadly, the experience of patients who genuinely need help being turned away by public hospitals is all too common.
Have you ever had an issue with not being able to get a hospital bed?
Top Comments
Murder charges should be laid!! People need to be accountable, the poor parents did everything they could to get medical help.
I had immense pains, that were not contractions, the midwife told me to listen to calming music and breathe- the next morning I saw my ob who did an emergency c section, I had had a placental abruption. My ob said any later and they would have lost my daughter and quite possibly me. Imagine if I did go home to listen to calming music!!!!!!!
This poor poor family, let down by medical practioners, not just once but several times. They need to be held accountable!!!!!
I'll weigh in on this one.
This poor family. My public hospital tried to make me go overdue by fifteen days.
At the ten day mark - to the complete embarrassment of my husband - I chucked a hissy fit and demanded to see the registrar. I told him I would not be leaving unless he could demonstrate to me that the placenta was fully functioning. He conceded they didn't have the means to measure that and agreed to induce me the next night.
The labour / birth was a two day process and (as they had predicted) resulted in a "cascade of intervention". Culminating into a dangerously low heart rate for baby and the resultant emergency c-section. They overshot my epidural and I struggled to breathe and could not feel anything from my jaw down. I was very upset with myself for pushing us all to the limit until the midwife handed him to me, saying "He is beautiful and you are so so lucky. That placenta is dangerously deteriorated."
Wtf?
The first couple of shifts of my labour the midwives at the hospital treated me with utter contempt. I believe it was because I kept speaking up for myself and the registrar backed my instinct. They flat out refused to give me an epidural (despite being 4cm), then pretended to 'forget' about the epidural etc. I was told I was the "the last of their priorities" and they attempted to discharge me go home 12 hours after inducing me, and were overruled by the registrar.
I've heard many similar stories of other women like Emma Green who were not so lucky. Needless to say our next two babies were not born at that hospital.
We MUST be our own advocates. There are some cowboys out there.
I'm sorry you went through this. I have a similar story. Thank you for taking the time to articulate your experience.