Mydaughter was born at 24 weeks and they induced my labor ist that illigal and where do we go now? Please help

Question

I had a daugther that was born at 24 weeks and i dont no where to go now? The doctors induced my labor and we heard her heart beat before i gave birth and when the was born the doctor sent the neonationlagist out of the room and the refused to save her? Is that illegal for them to do that? And what do I do now? Help I feel lost and now my husband wants to have kids agian I do to but I am scarred now. Please give advice and encourgement. Thanks.

My girl was born at 24 weeks along in Boulder. I went to the hospital 1 week before I had her and found out that I was dialted to 4cm and was flown to Denver where there is a better hostipal, but they sent me home on complete bed rest after they stopped the contractions. I went home and a week later i felt like something was wrong and I went to the hospital in boulder agian. And I was still at 4cm when the nurse checked me and when I stood up to get dressed I gushed blood and they where soppose to stop the contractions that is what the dr told me and instead she indused my labor. They were able to find the heart beat and then fly me back down to denver to deliver and she didnt. If i would have know that I would have went my self there 1st. I did not bust my water untill she made me push and it was only her one nurse and the neonatiolgist(until she left). My daughter was breech and she had to turn her which she did and when she did it wraped her umblical cord around her neck. 1.7lbs

Also she weighted 1lbs and 7oz In Colordo if the baby is over 24 weeks or 24 weeks they have to save it. So I ment the standards. I kept satying please save her. And they said they would try but only if she came out and took her first breath. I had 2 shots to mature her lungs so she could live an amemino, to find if an infection was there which there wasnt. I feel so mistreadted and it hurts so much a that the dr didt even listen to me at all. I feel bad cause another child the same age and weight was saved one week later. I have had counsling but damn it hurts

By the way there wa nothing wron gwith my own health. I just dilated early and the doctor I first saw the one i say when they checked me said that was fine to go home that is when the blood thing happened and the said that was only cause of her checking me. I feel cheated. I feel a little better about this that is why I am asking for advice now. I have sent for a copy of her death cif. but the problem I am facing is that I dont live in Colordo anymore. Thankyou for your advice and the comments I belive evryones questions have been anwsered ask if you have one and I will anwser.

Answer 1

Your story is a little muddled and it may be that what was done to you wasnt explained correctly

I also dont understand why anyone would induce someone at this gestation. It seems that it was a series of events that were unfortunate................. If you were 4cm at this gestation there is more chance it will not progress, and if you bleed or break your water the outlook is grim.....

At 24 weeks the chances of survival are very low, not all babies survive. If they do they generally have Cerebral palsy, blindness, permanent lung damage and can die from infection in the first few weeks/months.

I have lost 2 pregnancies one stillbirth and one set of twins so i feel a little of your pain..... personally i think you need a debrief from the staff to sort this out in your head and help you move on...
I wish you luck with this

As a midwife i would not want to have a baby at 24 weeks knowing all that i do but i would also be going back to the hosptial early in subsequent pregnancies talking about how to reduce the chances of this happening again ie cervical stitch, strict bed rest etc

Answer 2

Why did they induce you that early? There was NO effort to save her at all? If that is the case then I would definetly sue them for all they got. There should be NO reason for them to not TRY to save a life, that is like attemited something. I would see a lawyer right away. Sorry for your loss.
ALSO I had a friend that went into labor @ 4 mths and gave birth to a little girl that was only the length of a pencil and weighed 1 pd some odd ozs, so if the doctors were to have given up then she would NOT have been the healthy happy 2 year old that she is now. SO that is proof that there is/was a chance for your baby to live. So if someone says O there is no way it could have survived then they are lyn. What that doctor did was WRONG.....

Answer 3

There won't be a death certificate unless your baby had signs of life when she was born, (heart rate, respiration efforts). They usually do try to save babies born at 24 weeks if they are trying to survive on their own first. 24 weeks is that very fine line of weather we resuscitate or not. The gush of blood could have been a sign of your placenta detaching from the uterine wall, and maybe that's why they had to induce you. When something like this happens, docs and nurses are usually very good at explaining things. If you didn't understand exactly what they were saying, ask more questions. Call back there later when you have had a chance to regroup and talk to your doctor. Tell them how you feel, and that you don't completely understand. Your baby could have suffered severe physical and neurological problems later in life had she survived, then again, she may have been ok, but the chances of that are slim. You need to talk to them and get your questions answered and your uncertainties clarified. Ask them to speak in simpler terms if you don't understand something. No sense in pretending that you understand what they're saying and just suffering later cuz you really didn't, ya know? Good luck, and I'm sorry for your loss.

Answer 4

First, make an appt. to see the doctor that delivered the baby, but don't go by yourself. Take your husband, your mother, or a close friend. Ask the doctor to explain to you everything that happened. Listen carefully and take notes, if you like. It's important to have someone with you so that you can talk about what you heard later. You're extremely emotional right now due to hormones and the death of your little one. Two sets of ears are better than one. Try not to get upset when you listen to the doctor. Listen, ask questions, and then thank him for his time. There is nothing to be gained from losing control in his office except if you do, he can portray you later as being mentally unstable. You also need to get a copy of the baby's death certificate. In fact, you have a right to a copy of all the records that pertain to you and the baby. After you listen to the doctor and see all the records, then you can decide if you want to pursue legal action. As for your husband wanting more children, that's natural. I had my next child 18 months after the death of my first baby. Yes, you'll be afraid, but it's worth it. Take your time...wait until you feel ready. Every bereaved mommy is different. My emotional healing did not begin until I was expecting again, but that was just me. You might be totally different. Be kind to yourself. You will have good days and bad days, but gradually you will move forward. It might be years before you have a day go by that you don't think about the baby you lost, but life does go on. Good luck to you and your husband.

Answer 5

Unfortunately, it will be very difficult to be able to retain services of an attorney as sadly to say a life of a newborn who dies at birth is not valued and therefore no attorney will invest the money and/or their time in a medical malpractice suit as money has to be invested from their pockets in these type of cases. The cases which an attorney will take are wrongful death where there was enough pain and suffering that they know they are going to get monies from and/or a child which was injured at birth and lived with some sort of medical problems for a significant amount of time... Also, they take into account if you were having a high risk pregnancy and/or if you or your husband have any medical history which could have caused any problems to this child, etc. I think the most that you can do is file a formal complaint with Medical Association and/or with the hospital itself.... As far as having another child, I would first get change physicians and get one that you can trust and try to obtain copies of your medical records so like that the new physician has something to go by., once you confirm that it was no medical complication that another child can inherit, then you could attempt conceiving again... Unfortunately, life gives us really hard tests at times, but we as women and human beings, need to learn how to be strong and move on with our lives as no matter what, life keeps moving on without us... So, do not give up and simply educate yourself with what went wrong so like that you can avoid it in the future when you have another child... Good luck to you and your husband... god bless you...

Answer 6

oh my gosh! why would they ever do something like that? Honest.....go talk to an attorney! I used to work for attorneys in maryland, im not sure where you are or what the law is like there but, go threw the yellow pages and find an attornney! and meet with a couple of them, different ones, and make sure that they dont charge you consultation fees! you cuold get money from that! did the baby live or not? i think that you 2 should have a nother baby! and be happy, make sure you know the doctor and meet with a few different ones also so you are ok with the doctor helping you threw the birth! good luck, and having a nother child will help you even if you think it wont!! ;)

Answer 7

I don't think anyone knows enough about what was going on in that room to be able to give you good advice. There must have been a lot of details involved in whatever decision was made. Your health must have been at risk too (maybe they were trying to save you or keep from having something bad happen to you). What a devastating experience. I don't know that yahoo questions is the place to turn though, even though there are a lot of sympathetic advice givers. You need to ask the doctor about what happened and if you think you need an attorney seek counsel. I don't know much about premature birth, but can a baby survive if born 16 weeks early? And if so, would there be serious health/development issues there that would last throughout life? I think you need to know more about this so you can understand what you would have faced if efforts to revive her had panned out, or if that were even feasible. If it were me, it would be difficult to focus on anything practical or clinical due to the emotional toll this would have.

I don't think there's any reason not to try again, but obviously you should determine if you have high risk factors that might lead to this again, and I think time is essential. Give yourself time to grieve.

Answer 8

For starters I am very sorry to hear of your tragedy, cuz that is VERY tramatic! And I will pray for you!! But anyway you can call around for an attorney at law that handles strictly wrongful death or med malpractice suits explain to them when it comes to situations such as that I know in my state they only allow 2 years and then there after no one will take the case. But get one that will allow a free consult were you can explain directly to the attorney not the paralegal or anything like that. In a situation such as yours you dont want to settle for anything less. But you want one that you can go in explain your case so you have a chance to prove your case and that wont collect on it from you until they win in court I have personally found that those are the ones wont stop battling until the client is happy. But from personal expierience the pain doesnt go away until you have some sort of closure and even then the pain will always be there but time will allow you to be able to cope and honey, you need all the support you can get right now especially from your husband so i hope hes there for you! God bless & I hope things work out for you

Answer 9

I do not know why you were induced, but I agree with previous posters about seeking legal advice. They will tell you if you have a case or not. I am a mother of 3 kids, and all 3 were premature. *26 wk, 35 wk, 26 wk* They will resuscitate a 24 week gestation fetus. My nephew was 24 weeks *13 oz* and they had him hooked up to a ventilator and all the other necessary equipment. I wish you all the luck and I'm sorry for your loss.

Answer 10

I would first like to say that although I couldn't possibly understand how deep your hurt lies, I do extend my most sincere sympathy for losing your child. And in a way that may have been prevented. While other people may say a lawyer won't help, a lot of them offer free or cheap consults and then will help you decide where to go from there. So it can't hurt to try. Requesting medical records asap is definitely a good idea. Glad to hear your in counseling, and I hope that your husband will ease up on you for another baby. Surely if he cares about you he will let you decide when your ready. It will be ok.