Thursday, November 28, 2013

Forced Homebirth in a Hotel Takes BC Maternity Care to a New Low

I believe in access to adequate and timely healthcare to facilitate the needs of patients - and in particular the needs of mothers and their babies. I believe in informed consent. I believe in the prevention of birth trauma. I believe that when moms want access to medical care during pregnancy and childbirth - we owe it to them to provide that access.

Which is why I am scraping my jaw off my desk this today - I am shocked and appalled. I am also incredibly thankful, that for this mom and baby that the circumstances in which they were forced to give birth did not result in any physical harm.

A 17-year, first time mother was 8 days overdue and needed to be induced. They travelled to the Vernon Jubilee Hospital for the induction at 9 am on November 15. They needed to book a hotel room to wait for labour to begin - they returned to the hospital at 3:30 am and despite being unable to walk, the mother wasn't dilated enough and was turned away. They returned to the hotel and sometime after 4:30 am active labour began and progressed so quickly that they could not go back to the hospital. The aunt and grand-mother delivered the baby in the hotel room.

How is this acceptable care? How is this safe care? How does this respect the needs of pregnant women for informed consent and timely access to care?

This is wrong on so many levels. This apparently happened a year ago - I wonder if anything in Vernon has changed since it did?

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