Help Families Fight For Their Premature Babies Breath.
Help Families Fight For Their Premature Babies Breath.
The Issue
What I'm about to tell you may matter to you or may not, however; I at least want to share my experience, along with information that I have been able to find in such a small amount of time, in hopes of changing the laws and helping others.
I’ll start off by telling you my testimony. It's honestly hard to write about it, but if it's to make a change and to help other expecting mothers and fathers then it's totally worth writing about it.
I work in EMS, and for all that don't know it is a strenuous job. One day I was working and I got sent on a call (I forgot to mention it was a two man crew and it was me and another female) when we arrived I noticed that we were picking up a male that was about 6’2 and weighing about 280-300 pounds. You may think that's not a lot, but I'm only 5’0 weighing in at 175 pounds and my partner is 5’3 weighing in at 120 pounds. I called for assistance to help us lift this patient up in the air because we were using a manual stretcher, and also to lift the stretcher and patient into the truck which was high. Once we got a hold of our supervisor they notified us that they didn't have anyone in the area to assist with the call that we had at hand, and that we had no choice but to complete the call. So we did it and when I completed it I felt a pain around my belly button, and I kept complaining about it the whole day. Why am I telling you this? You may ask yourself, well because when that day was done and the next day I went and continued the day I had a weird feeling; a feeling that I couldn't shake, so I took a pregnancy test and to my surprise it came back positive. I was excited and couldn't believe it. I told my loved ones right away. The next day I told my supervisors that I needed to get off of the truck because I was pregnant, and they told me no. I asked everyday to see if they had a position in the office and they still told me no, for they didn’t have any open positions; and I had to continue working on the truck. I did just that, I continued doing what I was told to do and I also would tell my concerns to the doctors and they said I was okay to continue to work. One night around my 11 weeks of gestation, I woke up to use the bathroom, and I felt a pain in my abdomen and that's when I realized that something was wrong. I walked to the bathroom and saw there was blood running down my leg and I screamed for my fiancée to help me and I went back into the room where I saw A blood clot the size of a peach and I started to scream to call 911 because at that very moment I thought I lost the baby. Paramedics arrived at my household and rushed me to the hospital and they put me in a room right away. The nurse came in and put an IV in my arm, she started to speak and say “you can't stop nature from happening, so if it's going to happen it's going to happen.” My fiancée was in the room and my mom shortly arrived and the nurse was telling me to stand and walk to the bathroom so the emergency room can get a urine sample, however, I kept explaining to her that it hurts to walk and I can’t. Again she said “ You can't stop this from happening, it's going to happen regardless, so I’m sorry to sound like this but that's how it is.” At that moment the ultrasound personnel came in. The tech started to do her job, I asked her to be gentle because my abdomen was hurting and she said “I’ll do my best.” I asked her if the baby was okay, and she said “I'm not allowed to say.” In my mind I started to think, I'm the patient, why can't I know what is going on with my baby. My mom asked “Can I hear the heartbeat?” tech said “No you can not hear the heartbeat, I'm not allowed.” The nurse came back in and said “I need a urine sample when you are done.” As soon as the tech was done I stood up and I was in tears as the blood continued to rush down my legs, and my mom was in shock. I stood over the toilet and blood just kept coming out, my mom screamed saying “stop !” The tech then realized how severe the situation was and called for help, and the nurses did not come so the tech got towels and helped as best as she could. My fiancée came back to the room and heard the commotion and tried to help as well. About three minutes later the nurse entered the room, the nurse realized that there were two people in the room instead of one and she demanded one to leave. I kept asking for both my mother and fiancée to stay, she kept saying no it's not allowed due to covid. I assured her that none of us had covid, that we were safe and she kept saying no. My mom left the room. About 5 minutes later a Physician Assistant came into the room and started to speak. He proceeded on to say “ Yeah, hmm.. Yeah, your having an active miscarriage, you will lose your baby in 24 to 48 hours.” I began to cry as he left the room. My fiancée was in shock, and I decided not to accept the diagnosis. I called my OB office right away and I explained the situation. Right away the doctor on call started to apologize, but then she said to come in and make an appointment for that day. The nurse came back in and said “you're being discharged, there's nothing else we can do here, you can't fight nature.” I started to just stare around the room and started realizing how broken the healthcare system is, when it comes to helping those that are really in need of help. I called my mother and explained what the P.A and nurse said, and my mother right away told me to go home and put my feet up till it was time to go to the doctor's appointment. I did that. We went to the appointment around 9:00 am eastern time. When we arrived to do the ultrasound the tech told us that the baby is fine, everything is good with the baby, and the one that was hemorrhaging was me, not the baby. They then started to ask about my job and if I was on light duty, and I said no; they then started to write a letter and told me I needed to be, because I was considered high risk now. At this point I thought to myself , why does the situation have to get bad in order for the expecting mother to get what she needs to keep the baby safe. I then went and gave my note to my job and they said that I would be out of work for at least two weeks, reason being that they needed a plan, how long I was going to be on light duty, and the reasoning for my light duty so they could find something for me to do. For those two weeks without pay, I put myself on bed rest and made sure that my baby was safe. I returned to work and did light duty and everything was going well with the baby. And I went to two appointment in between to check on the baby, I went for a normal check up the next following three weeks, because I felt like something was wrong, and that's when they realized that my cervix was shortening and it was already shortened by 1.3 cm, I was 18 weeks by then. They told me my options and I said, I'm fighting for my baby boy; she called the doctor, and that's when she told my fiancée and I to rush to the hospital for a cerclage emergency surgery. When we got there they had me in a room, in the room they had me wait for the doctor to come in and they said, because I had breakfast I would have to wait four to eight hours before I go into surgery. We waited, and when the early evening came around they told us that there were a lot of emergencies ahead of me, I would be next as soon as they could get me in, if nothing changes as in any more urgent emergency surgeries. This soon turned into late evening time and they told me that I would have to wait until the next day. I stayed overnight at the hospital. The next morning they woke me up and brought me into the surgery room and started to prep me. There was a different doctor this time, and she said “this may be an infection causing this so if this is so, I’ll give you a shot.” I said “Okay. but shouldn't I have more than just one shot and also let it cure first.” the doctor replied “no.” they continued and I was praying the whole time. The OB office then emailed my job telling them that I am now on FMLA and can no longer work till further notice, and I was now on bed rest. As the weeks and months went by I felt my little one grow and felt his kicks and every time he would hear me sing to him he would kick even more, I would read to him and pray over him. I went for a regular doctor's visit where they found that my membrane was poking through my cervix and they told me to go home and not to get up unless it was to go to the bathroom and I did this for one month and 2 weeks. One early morning on July 10th 2021 around 230am my water broke, I was 21 weeks pregnant, we rushed to the hospital, they brought me up to the OB unit where they confirmed that my water broke. The doctor that did my cerclage, along with the NICU doctor came to my room to talk to me and my family. They kept telling me, my fiancée and also my mother that arrived shortly after that there was nothing they could do and that they advised us to terminate the pregnancy. I looked at the doctors and I said No. The nurse that was taking care of me told me that they were only going to give me 4 pills (which i vomited within 10 minutes of ingesting the medication) and one bottle of antibiotics, because the doctor thinks that an infection is causing this. They said that they weren't going to keep me and they sent me home. I was confused, I was worried, how can they discharge me without monitoring me. My fiancée went downstairs to get fresh air, the doctors came back in the room and started to proceed with trying to convey me in terminating and explaining to me that there's nothing they can do for the baby. I repeated no. I looked at them and said “I do not take life, nor do I give it, I will continue to fight for my baby, so please fight for him too.” They left the room and at that very moment my fiancée overheard them talking about me and said that it was an insurance problem, but that's where we were confused, I have insurance and they still turned me away. He ran into the room where he saw me crying in despair, and I told him to find out more information and do something. There's got to be something he's 21 weeks! He went to speak to the doctor and the doctor told him “you have a better chance of hitting the lotto if this baby is born without something wrong with him.” and walked away. About three hours later the nurse came back in the room and explained to me what to do at home, which was to drink a lot of fluids and to lay in bed, and to return back on the 20th of July to start steroids. I went home, but something isn't sitting right in me. I started to look up information, I also started to talk to one of my friends that had a premature baby. She appointed me to a level 4 NICU in Tampa, FL. I went that night. They right away admitted me into the hospital and started to give me rounds of antibiotics and also had the talk with me of the baby possibly being here within the week or so. I told them please just fight for him. I stayed in the hospital for 4 days. I went home and was on bed rest again. On the early morning of July 18,2021 at around 2:30 am I felt pain in my abdomen and I had a sensation of going to the bathroom, and when I went two bright red drops of blood came. I screamed for my fiancée and told him we need to go to the hospital now! We got there and went to the OB area where they put me in the triage room. The nurse put a belt around my abdomen to watch for contractions and left the room to go get the doctor. 10-15 minutes passed and I screamed, what’s taking so long! and that's when the doctors came into the room to do the cervix exam with a speculum. They kept doing it over and over again and they said we have to do this, and let the doctor see. I said okay wait till the doctors get here, please give me medicine to stop contractions, I’m only 22 weeks please save my baby! They left the room, and another doctor came in, and an anesthesiologist started to give me pain medications and something to calm me down. I kept saying to save my baby. At this moment they did the examination again, that's when my fiancée saw all the blood coming out of me; the doctors were saying it's too late, and they were trying to remove the cerclage but they couldn't. They rushed me to the operating room, I woke up from the anesthesia for a second and I screamed, Please save my son! The anesthesiologist gave me more medication. When I woke back up, I saw my mother holding my son, and my fiancée in the corner looking at our baby. That's when It all started to hit me, that my son was not being helped. The nurses came in and checked his heart rate. I kept pleading and crying and the nurses said “the doctors said that there's nothing they can do.” I then said please! He's 22 weeks old! What's one weeks from the viability of 23! Please! And the nurses left the room. I had my son on my chest and I sang his favorite song. He raised his little arm and grabbed my finger and smiled. He passed away in my arms after 4 hours of being alive. After he passed the nurses called for transport to put me in a different room, that's when the Doctors came and started to tell me that they were extremely sorry for my loss; they started to tell me that they scraped my cervix completely and they saw what caused the PPROM and the Early deliver, and it was an infection. They mentioned that it should have been taken care of, before the other hospital put the cerclage in place. They also said that they saw the initial tare that occurred in the beginning of my pregnancy, and they put stitches on the tare. They kept on apologizing, because they knew that the healthcare system failed us, since the beginning of our pregnancy due to other healthcare providers not catching the infection, and as well as preventing infections.
For those of you that read this and are literally wondering why did this happen, or why didn't they help? I asked myself that question everyday, and so many mothers have approached me and said to me how they too have gone through the same heartache. The healthcare system failed us.
When I got discharged from the hospital, I started to do research. These are some of the things I have found that can help expecting mothers and their babies.
Medications:
1. Progesterone Shots : I used to take the cream, because my OB told me that the shots were not offered around here in the area. Turns out there are shots in the area, Tampa, Fl. The reason I'm so adamant about the shots, is for the reason being when taking the cream expecting mothers are more prone to have vaginal infections. That was one of my concerns, I would tell the doctor and she said I had nothing to worry about. Then about 2 months later I developed BV (Bacterial Vaginosis), a common infection that happens during pregnancy and the cream didn't help the situation, due to introducing potential outside sources that may cause infection in the vaginal area. The OB clinic made me stop taking the cream, when my membrane ruptured. They also cancelled all OB appointments and left me in the dark and told me to go to the hospital that they are affiliated with. When I arrived at the Labor and Delivery floor, that's when the doctors on the floor told me to terminate. Of course, I said no. Progesterone shots should be offered in every OB office.
2. Brethine: (aka: Terbutaline) It's an injection that is given to mothers. This medication is used to slow down contractions for a few hours or even a few days. FDA says, it should only be used for no more than 48-72 hours (2-3 days.) For example, my contractions started to happen at 230 am and arrived at the hospital at 255 am, the contractions were still far apart; they could have given Brethine to me, but instead had me wait in the triage room for about 20 minutes before they realized it was too late. My baby boy would be safe. The staff could have started the steroid treatment that night, and could have kept me pregnant.
As soon as you get to the hospital, ask medical staff to give you Brethine to slow/stop contractions. The Florida Patient’s Bill of Rights and Responsibilities states, “A patient has the right to a prompt and reasonable response to a question or request. A health care facility shall respond in a reasonable manner to the request of a patient’s health care provider for medical services to the patient. The health care facility shall also respond in a reasonable manner to the patient’s request for other services customarily rendered by the health care facility to the extent such services do not require the approval of the patient’s health care provider or are not inconsistent with the patient’s treatment.”
Here's the link to find the information:
3. Surfactant:
IF YOUR BABY IS BORN AT 22 WEEKS don't let them tell you there's nothing they can do! Yes at 23 weeks the baby is viable, however, what's one week less and also it's your baby.
Surfactant can be used on babies born at 22 weeks to help lower surface tension at the air-liquid interface. Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension between two liquids, between a gas and a liquid, or between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, or dispersants. The word "surfactant" is a blend of surface-active agents.
An unborn baby starts to make surfactant at about 26 weeks of pregnancy. If a baby is premature (born before 37 weeks of pregnancy), they may not have made enough surfactant yet. When there is not enough surfactant, the tiny alveoli collapse with each breath. As the alveoli collapse, damaged cells collect in the airways. They further affect breathing. The baby has to work harder and harder to breathe trying to reinflate the collapsed airways. Evidence from animal and observational human studies suggest that intra-amniotic surfactant administration is potentially safe, feasible and effective. Well designed trials of intra-amniotic instillation of surfactant for women at risk of preterm birth are needed. Before PPROM (Preterm premature rupture of the membranes) occurs.
Websites to find more information about Surfactant:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulmonary_surfactant
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=90&ContentID=P02371
Side effects of Surfactant:
The short-term risks of surfactant replacement therapy include bradycardia and hypoxia during installation, as well as blockage of the endotracheal tube.
The way to give surfactant to babies :
Intra-amniotic surfactant for women at risk of preterm birth for preventing respiratory distress in newborns.
If the baby is small, they can do it via a thin catheter into the trachea in small aliquots.
If the baby is born at 29-32 weeks, it can be given via CPAP.
Laws of fetal viability have been the same for about 25 years now, and I ask myself why is this? Medicine has come so far, why not change the time frame of 21 to 22 weeks. OB Clinics/ hospitals can start surfactant via intra-amniotic, as well as steroids on the unborn baby. Before PPROM (Preterm premature rupture of the membranes) occurs, expecting mothers are at higher risks. PPROM or PROM (premature rupture of the membranes) risks start at the second trimester and continues to the third trimester (any baby born before 37 weeks). Mothers and fathers should have the right to choose if this is something they want for their baby, so they can have a higher chance of survival with the right medical assistance. Every hospital in the state of Florida, and all over the United State of America should adapt this way of medicine.
When it comes to expecting mothers, I strongly urge that the work places in Florida, and everywhere in America, adapt a new strategy when it comes to the workplace; because in reality all weeks matter. When it comes to pregnancy, maternity leave should be a must as soon as expecting moms find out she is pregnant, with minimum wage pay at least till the baby turns 6 months of age. The partners of the expecting mother should start at four to five months of the way through or sooner if complications occur, and have time off if complications occur during the pregnancy. Reason being the partners are a part of the pregnancy, and should be there every step of the way for support; as well as, to also advocate for the baby when the mother is not able to.
To summarize, the reason why I am so adamant about this petition is in hopes of changing the Viability Gestational age, to 21-22 weeks. As well as, for hospital professionals to do everything that they can to save the baby (if parents choose so). This petition is to Help Families Fight For Their Premature Babies Breath. As well as because medicine has changed so much throughout the years, and it's time for a change in the hope of advocating for premature babies and families. As well as, to start research on surfactant and steroid treatment earlier than 24 weeks, and move the treatment to at least 20 - 21 weeks of gestational age . There are no studies showing if this may work, however, that's when studies should start to see if this can help the innocent. As a first time mom I wish I knew this information beforehand, however, this experience taught me to stand strong and fight for the families experiencing this unfortunate traumatic event in their lives.
Please stand with me, and help me make a change in this world to save the families from hearing “there's nothing we can do.” when they haven’t tried anything.
I don’t want any other families feeling this pain anymore, it's time that we the people start to speak up for the healthcare system to stop failing where it really matters.
Thank you for your time, and I hope you stand with me in this powerful movement.
Sincerely,
A Mom, Helping Families Fight For Their Premature Babies Breath.
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The Issue
What I'm about to tell you may matter to you or may not, however; I at least want to share my experience, along with information that I have been able to find in such a small amount of time, in hopes of changing the laws and helping others.
I’ll start off by telling you my testimony. It's honestly hard to write about it, but if it's to make a change and to help other expecting mothers and fathers then it's totally worth writing about it.
I work in EMS, and for all that don't know it is a strenuous job. One day I was working and I got sent on a call (I forgot to mention it was a two man crew and it was me and another female) when we arrived I noticed that we were picking up a male that was about 6’2 and weighing about 280-300 pounds. You may think that's not a lot, but I'm only 5’0 weighing in at 175 pounds and my partner is 5’3 weighing in at 120 pounds. I called for assistance to help us lift this patient up in the air because we were using a manual stretcher, and also to lift the stretcher and patient into the truck which was high. Once we got a hold of our supervisor they notified us that they didn't have anyone in the area to assist with the call that we had at hand, and that we had no choice but to complete the call. So we did it and when I completed it I felt a pain around my belly button, and I kept complaining about it the whole day. Why am I telling you this? You may ask yourself, well because when that day was done and the next day I went and continued the day I had a weird feeling; a feeling that I couldn't shake, so I took a pregnancy test and to my surprise it came back positive. I was excited and couldn't believe it. I told my loved ones right away. The next day I told my supervisors that I needed to get off of the truck because I was pregnant, and they told me no. I asked everyday to see if they had a position in the office and they still told me no, for they didn’t have any open positions; and I had to continue working on the truck. I did just that, I continued doing what I was told to do and I also would tell my concerns to the doctors and they said I was okay to continue to work. One night around my 11 weeks of gestation, I woke up to use the bathroom, and I felt a pain in my abdomen and that's when I realized that something was wrong. I walked to the bathroom and saw there was blood running down my leg and I screamed for my fiancée to help me and I went back into the room where I saw A blood clot the size of a peach and I started to scream to call 911 because at that very moment I thought I lost the baby. Paramedics arrived at my household and rushed me to the hospital and they put me in a room right away. The nurse came in and put an IV in my arm, she started to speak and say “you can't stop nature from happening, so if it's going to happen it's going to happen.” My fiancée was in the room and my mom shortly arrived and the nurse was telling me to stand and walk to the bathroom so the emergency room can get a urine sample, however, I kept explaining to her that it hurts to walk and I can’t. Again she said “ You can't stop this from happening, it's going to happen regardless, so I’m sorry to sound like this but that's how it is.” At that moment the ultrasound personnel came in. The tech started to do her job, I asked her to be gentle because my abdomen was hurting and she said “I’ll do my best.” I asked her if the baby was okay, and she said “I'm not allowed to say.” In my mind I started to think, I'm the patient, why can't I know what is going on with my baby. My mom asked “Can I hear the heartbeat?” tech said “No you can not hear the heartbeat, I'm not allowed.” The nurse came back in and said “I need a urine sample when you are done.” As soon as the tech was done I stood up and I was in tears as the blood continued to rush down my legs, and my mom was in shock. I stood over the toilet and blood just kept coming out, my mom screamed saying “stop !” The tech then realized how severe the situation was and called for help, and the nurses did not come so the tech got towels and helped as best as she could. My fiancée came back to the room and heard the commotion and tried to help as well. About three minutes later the nurse entered the room, the nurse realized that there were two people in the room instead of one and she demanded one to leave. I kept asking for both my mother and fiancée to stay, she kept saying no it's not allowed due to covid. I assured her that none of us had covid, that we were safe and she kept saying no. My mom left the room. About 5 minutes later a Physician Assistant came into the room and started to speak. He proceeded on to say “ Yeah, hmm.. Yeah, your having an active miscarriage, you will lose your baby in 24 to 48 hours.” I began to cry as he left the room. My fiancée was in shock, and I decided not to accept the diagnosis. I called my OB office right away and I explained the situation. Right away the doctor on call started to apologize, but then she said to come in and make an appointment for that day. The nurse came back in and said “you're being discharged, there's nothing else we can do here, you can't fight nature.” I started to just stare around the room and started realizing how broken the healthcare system is, when it comes to helping those that are really in need of help. I called my mother and explained what the P.A and nurse said, and my mother right away told me to go home and put my feet up till it was time to go to the doctor's appointment. I did that. We went to the appointment around 9:00 am eastern time. When we arrived to do the ultrasound the tech told us that the baby is fine, everything is good with the baby, and the one that was hemorrhaging was me, not the baby. They then started to ask about my job and if I was on light duty, and I said no; they then started to write a letter and told me I needed to be, because I was considered high risk now. At this point I thought to myself , why does the situation have to get bad in order for the expecting mother to get what she needs to keep the baby safe. I then went and gave my note to my job and they said that I would be out of work for at least two weeks, reason being that they needed a plan, how long I was going to be on light duty, and the reasoning for my light duty so they could find something for me to do. For those two weeks without pay, I put myself on bed rest and made sure that my baby was safe. I returned to work and did light duty and everything was going well with the baby. And I went to two appointment in between to check on the baby, I went for a normal check up the next following three weeks, because I felt like something was wrong, and that's when they realized that my cervix was shortening and it was already shortened by 1.3 cm, I was 18 weeks by then. They told me my options and I said, I'm fighting for my baby boy; she called the doctor, and that's when she told my fiancée and I to rush to the hospital for a cerclage emergency surgery. When we got there they had me in a room, in the room they had me wait for the doctor to come in and they said, because I had breakfast I would have to wait four to eight hours before I go into surgery. We waited, and when the early evening came around they told us that there were a lot of emergencies ahead of me, I would be next as soon as they could get me in, if nothing changes as in any more urgent emergency surgeries. This soon turned into late evening time and they told me that I would have to wait until the next day. I stayed overnight at the hospital. The next morning they woke me up and brought me into the surgery room and started to prep me. There was a different doctor this time, and she said “this may be an infection causing this so if this is so, I’ll give you a shot.” I said “Okay. but shouldn't I have more than just one shot and also let it cure first.” the doctor replied “no.” they continued and I was praying the whole time. The OB office then emailed my job telling them that I am now on FMLA and can no longer work till further notice, and I was now on bed rest. As the weeks and months went by I felt my little one grow and felt his kicks and every time he would hear me sing to him he would kick even more, I would read to him and pray over him. I went for a regular doctor's visit where they found that my membrane was poking through my cervix and they told me to go home and not to get up unless it was to go to the bathroom and I did this for one month and 2 weeks. One early morning on July 10th 2021 around 230am my water broke, I was 21 weeks pregnant, we rushed to the hospital, they brought me up to the OB unit where they confirmed that my water broke. The doctor that did my cerclage, along with the NICU doctor came to my room to talk to me and my family. They kept telling me, my fiancée and also my mother that arrived shortly after that there was nothing they could do and that they advised us to terminate the pregnancy. I looked at the doctors and I said No. The nurse that was taking care of me told me that they were only going to give me 4 pills (which i vomited within 10 minutes of ingesting the medication) and one bottle of antibiotics, because the doctor thinks that an infection is causing this. They said that they weren't going to keep me and they sent me home. I was confused, I was worried, how can they discharge me without monitoring me. My fiancée went downstairs to get fresh air, the doctors came back in the room and started to proceed with trying to convey me in terminating and explaining to me that there's nothing they can do for the baby. I repeated no. I looked at them and said “I do not take life, nor do I give it, I will continue to fight for my baby, so please fight for him too.” They left the room and at that very moment my fiancée overheard them talking about me and said that it was an insurance problem, but that's where we were confused, I have insurance and they still turned me away. He ran into the room where he saw me crying in despair, and I told him to find out more information and do something. There's got to be something he's 21 weeks! He went to speak to the doctor and the doctor told him “you have a better chance of hitting the lotto if this baby is born without something wrong with him.” and walked away. About three hours later the nurse came back in the room and explained to me what to do at home, which was to drink a lot of fluids and to lay in bed, and to return back on the 20th of July to start steroids. I went home, but something isn't sitting right in me. I started to look up information, I also started to talk to one of my friends that had a premature baby. She appointed me to a level 4 NICU in Tampa, FL. I went that night. They right away admitted me into the hospital and started to give me rounds of antibiotics and also had the talk with me of the baby possibly being here within the week or so. I told them please just fight for him. I stayed in the hospital for 4 days. I went home and was on bed rest again. On the early morning of July 18,2021 at around 2:30 am I felt pain in my abdomen and I had a sensation of going to the bathroom, and when I went two bright red drops of blood came. I screamed for my fiancée and told him we need to go to the hospital now! We got there and went to the OB area where they put me in the triage room. The nurse put a belt around my abdomen to watch for contractions and left the room to go get the doctor. 10-15 minutes passed and I screamed, what’s taking so long! and that's when the doctors came into the room to do the cervix exam with a speculum. They kept doing it over and over again and they said we have to do this, and let the doctor see. I said okay wait till the doctors get here, please give me medicine to stop contractions, I’m only 22 weeks please save my baby! They left the room, and another doctor came in, and an anesthesiologist started to give me pain medications and something to calm me down. I kept saying to save my baby. At this moment they did the examination again, that's when my fiancée saw all the blood coming out of me; the doctors were saying it's too late, and they were trying to remove the cerclage but they couldn't. They rushed me to the operating room, I woke up from the anesthesia for a second and I screamed, Please save my son! The anesthesiologist gave me more medication. When I woke back up, I saw my mother holding my son, and my fiancée in the corner looking at our baby. That's when It all started to hit me, that my son was not being helped. The nurses came in and checked his heart rate. I kept pleading and crying and the nurses said “the doctors said that there's nothing they can do.” I then said please! He's 22 weeks old! What's one weeks from the viability of 23! Please! And the nurses left the room. I had my son on my chest and I sang his favorite song. He raised his little arm and grabbed my finger and smiled. He passed away in my arms after 4 hours of being alive. After he passed the nurses called for transport to put me in a different room, that's when the Doctors came and started to tell me that they were extremely sorry for my loss; they started to tell me that they scraped my cervix completely and they saw what caused the PPROM and the Early deliver, and it was an infection. They mentioned that it should have been taken care of, before the other hospital put the cerclage in place. They also said that they saw the initial tare that occurred in the beginning of my pregnancy, and they put stitches on the tare. They kept on apologizing, because they knew that the healthcare system failed us, since the beginning of our pregnancy due to other healthcare providers not catching the infection, and as well as preventing infections.
For those of you that read this and are literally wondering why did this happen, or why didn't they help? I asked myself that question everyday, and so many mothers have approached me and said to me how they too have gone through the same heartache. The healthcare system failed us.
When I got discharged from the hospital, I started to do research. These are some of the things I have found that can help expecting mothers and their babies.
Medications:
1. Progesterone Shots : I used to take the cream, because my OB told me that the shots were not offered around here in the area. Turns out there are shots in the area, Tampa, Fl. The reason I'm so adamant about the shots, is for the reason being when taking the cream expecting mothers are more prone to have vaginal infections. That was one of my concerns, I would tell the doctor and she said I had nothing to worry about. Then about 2 months later I developed BV (Bacterial Vaginosis), a common infection that happens during pregnancy and the cream didn't help the situation, due to introducing potential outside sources that may cause infection in the vaginal area. The OB clinic made me stop taking the cream, when my membrane ruptured. They also cancelled all OB appointments and left me in the dark and told me to go to the hospital that they are affiliated with. When I arrived at the Labor and Delivery floor, that's when the doctors on the floor told me to terminate. Of course, I said no. Progesterone shots should be offered in every OB office.
2. Brethine: (aka: Terbutaline) It's an injection that is given to mothers. This medication is used to slow down contractions for a few hours or even a few days. FDA says, it should only be used for no more than 48-72 hours (2-3 days.) For example, my contractions started to happen at 230 am and arrived at the hospital at 255 am, the contractions were still far apart; they could have given Brethine to me, but instead had me wait in the triage room for about 20 minutes before they realized it was too late. My baby boy would be safe. The staff could have started the steroid treatment that night, and could have kept me pregnant.
As soon as you get to the hospital, ask medical staff to give you Brethine to slow/stop contractions. The Florida Patient’s Bill of Rights and Responsibilities states, “A patient has the right to a prompt and reasonable response to a question or request. A health care facility shall respond in a reasonable manner to the request of a patient’s health care provider for medical services to the patient. The health care facility shall also respond in a reasonable manner to the patient’s request for other services customarily rendered by the health care facility to the extent such services do not require the approval of the patient’s health care provider or are not inconsistent with the patient’s treatment.”
Here's the link to find the information:
3. Surfactant:
IF YOUR BABY IS BORN AT 22 WEEKS don't let them tell you there's nothing they can do! Yes at 23 weeks the baby is viable, however, what's one week less and also it's your baby.
Surfactant can be used on babies born at 22 weeks to help lower surface tension at the air-liquid interface. Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension between two liquids, between a gas and a liquid, or between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, or dispersants. The word "surfactant" is a blend of surface-active agents.
An unborn baby starts to make surfactant at about 26 weeks of pregnancy. If a baby is premature (born before 37 weeks of pregnancy), they may not have made enough surfactant yet. When there is not enough surfactant, the tiny alveoli collapse with each breath. As the alveoli collapse, damaged cells collect in the airways. They further affect breathing. The baby has to work harder and harder to breathe trying to reinflate the collapsed airways. Evidence from animal and observational human studies suggest that intra-amniotic surfactant administration is potentially safe, feasible and effective. Well designed trials of intra-amniotic instillation of surfactant for women at risk of preterm birth are needed. Before PPROM (Preterm premature rupture of the membranes) occurs.
Websites to find more information about Surfactant:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulmonary_surfactant
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=90&ContentID=P02371
Side effects of Surfactant:
The short-term risks of surfactant replacement therapy include bradycardia and hypoxia during installation, as well as blockage of the endotracheal tube.
The way to give surfactant to babies :
Intra-amniotic surfactant for women at risk of preterm birth for preventing respiratory distress in newborns.
If the baby is small, they can do it via a thin catheter into the trachea in small aliquots.
If the baby is born at 29-32 weeks, it can be given via CPAP.
Laws of fetal viability have been the same for about 25 years now, and I ask myself why is this? Medicine has come so far, why not change the time frame of 21 to 22 weeks. OB Clinics/ hospitals can start surfactant via intra-amniotic, as well as steroids on the unborn baby. Before PPROM (Preterm premature rupture of the membranes) occurs, expecting mothers are at higher risks. PPROM or PROM (premature rupture of the membranes) risks start at the second trimester and continues to the third trimester (any baby born before 37 weeks). Mothers and fathers should have the right to choose if this is something they want for their baby, so they can have a higher chance of survival with the right medical assistance. Every hospital in the state of Florida, and all over the United State of America should adapt this way of medicine.
When it comes to expecting mothers, I strongly urge that the work places in Florida, and everywhere in America, adapt a new strategy when it comes to the workplace; because in reality all weeks matter. When it comes to pregnancy, maternity leave should be a must as soon as expecting moms find out she is pregnant, with minimum wage pay at least till the baby turns 6 months of age. The partners of the expecting mother should start at four to five months of the way through or sooner if complications occur, and have time off if complications occur during the pregnancy. Reason being the partners are a part of the pregnancy, and should be there every step of the way for support; as well as, to also advocate for the baby when the mother is not able to.
To summarize, the reason why I am so adamant about this petition is in hopes of changing the Viability Gestational age, to 21-22 weeks. As well as, for hospital professionals to do everything that they can to save the baby (if parents choose so). This petition is to Help Families Fight For Their Premature Babies Breath. As well as because medicine has changed so much throughout the years, and it's time for a change in the hope of advocating for premature babies and families. As well as, to start research on surfactant and steroid treatment earlier than 24 weeks, and move the treatment to at least 20 - 21 weeks of gestational age . There are no studies showing if this may work, however, that's when studies should start to see if this can help the innocent. As a first time mom I wish I knew this information beforehand, however, this experience taught me to stand strong and fight for the families experiencing this unfortunate traumatic event in their lives.
Please stand with me, and help me make a change in this world to save the families from hearing “there's nothing we can do.” when they haven’t tried anything.
I don’t want any other families feeling this pain anymore, it's time that we the people start to speak up for the healthcare system to stop failing where it really matters.
Thank you for your time, and I hope you stand with me in this powerful movement.
Sincerely,
A Mom, Helping Families Fight For Their Premature Babies Breath.
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Petition created on July 28, 2021