Mother who delivered stillborn recounts unpleasant experience at N/A hospital

A 36-year-old woman who delivered a stillborn at the New Amsterdam Hospital recently is recalling the unpleasant experience she had at the public health institution and hopes her story results in serious reforms at the facility.
Jasodra Singh of Number 36 Village, Corentyne, Region Six had the baby removed from her three days after it was discovered dead inside her. Singh, a mother of a teenage daughter attended the high-risk clinic at the New Amsterdam Hospital during her pregnancy.
On October 7, she had a clinic appointment. There she was told that the heartbeat of the unborn child was not detected and as such, an ultrasound was ordered which later revealed no movements thus the baby was diagnosed as stillborn.
“When I see the doctor, he ask me if I am feeling movement with my baby and I tell him ‘yes’, that I am feeling all movement – the kick and everything. He said well the baby is no more in you. He said that the ultrasound machine show that the baby not breathing and the baby died,” the woman told the Guyana Times.
Even though in disbelief, the woman was admitted as a patient to have the dead fetus removed from her. At the time, she was already over eight months pregnant. The following morning, she was taken into the labour room where she was examined by a doctor.
“She take a tube and push it up in me. They say they would put water in it to swell it a little bit to get the baby to come down. While they were putting the tube, it was painful and I was screaming a lot when the pain was there.”
According to Singh, at about 18:00h on that day, a tablet was inserted into her to induce labour and at about 23:00h the process was repeated.
“About 1 O’clock the next morning they take out the tube and she inserted her hand into me; her whole hand went up into me. I was screaming,” she revealed. Singh, in recounting the horrible ordeal, said she was told that the fetus was small and that she did not need to go to the operating theatre to have a caesarean.
At about 6:00h on Thursday, a third tablet was inserted to induce labour. “After she inserts the pill I see a lot of blood and I say maybe because they put their hand. When they put their hand they had it inside me turning it – I was screaming in pain. While she was turning her hand I was feeling a lot of pain. I keep telling them that I couldn’t open my legs more and it was paining,” the woman detained.
Singh said she informed the doctor that she could not deliver the baby using a normal procedure and needed to have a cesarean noting that she had a caesarean for her daughter who is now 16 years old.
“She tell me that the baby was not big and I could push out the baby. I didn’t say anything because they were harassing me and hollering on me.”
However, at 9:30h, that same day, a male doctor came to her bedside and after checking her, explained that they were going to take her to the operating theatre to deliver the baby by way of caesarean.
“I hear when one of the doctors asking ‘time of birth’ but I couldn’t understand everything that they were saying because they were talking in a different language. I hear the doctor say the time of birth at 10:35 and I listening to hear if the baby would cry or anything but about 15 to 20 minutes after a lady doctor come with the baby and told me that the baby was no more – baby was dead.”
The grieving mother said she was told and shown that the child was carrying was a girl. She named the child Mohanie Davi Singh.
Singh expressed dissatisfaction at the manner she was being handled by the female doctors. The woman also accused the doctors of using indecent language towards her during her stay at the medical facility.
The child’s cause of death was given as insufficient placenta due to high blood pressure.
“I know that I have suffered from high blood pressure for about 18 years now,” she explained.
Meanwhile, while not blaming the hospital for the child’s death, the woman said she hoped no one else would have to ensure the unpleasant experience as she did.
Singh calls on the hospital staff to treat patients, especially those going through traumatic and sad experiences, with more care and consideration. (Andrew Carmichael)