On the afternoon of August 11, expectant mother Mrs. Zhu and her husband made their way to Southern Medical University’s Shenzhen Hospital, in Bao’an District. The couple already has one daughter, but were happy to discover at the end of last year that Mrs. Zhu was once again pregnant. Their hopes for a new addition to their family were dashed, however, when the fetus passed away before even being born, possibly as a result of doctors’ negligence.
There were some inherent risks in Mrs. Zhu’s pregnancy from the beginning. As a 41-year-old, she’s on the older side for an expectant mother and thus more susceptible to complications.
According to Mrs. Zhu, however, the couple was well aware of the risks they faced and made sure to visit the hospital regularly for checkups, as well as follow their doctors’ advice. The pregnancy was proceeding smoothly until August 11.
When she went into labor that day, she and her husband checked into the Bao’an hospital. Mrs. Zhu had some concerns from the beginning – a doctor had previously told her that the position of her baby wasn’t normal. Because of this, as well as her age, she wanted a C-section.
A nurse helped contact the doctor in charge of Mrs. Zhu’s delivery, who was carrying out a surgery at the time, around 4.30pm. According to Mrs. Zhu, the doctor responded that it would be alright without a C-section and to check in again later.
Hospital reports say that the doctor recommended the nurse to prep Zhu for any necessary surgical procedures and continue monitoring the fetus.
However, less than two hours later, the Mrs. Zhu’s unborn child had died.
While waiting for the doctor, she and the nurse had noticed the baby’s heartbeat steadily dropping. Once it had reached a rate of 70 beats per minute, down from 100 or more, the nurse called for emergency responders to check her with an ultrasound.
They then decided to prep her for surgery, but, after administering anesthesia, it turned out there was no need: the fetus was already dead. The time was 5.50pm.
Afterwards, Mrs. Zhu recalls viewing her stillborn child, a boy, with despair: “If I wasn’t thinking of my parents, my husband and my older daughter at that time, I really didn’t want to live.”
Zhu's husband, Mr. Chen, talks to reporters
She and her husband blame the hospital’s doctors for not listening to her suggestions and not responding quickly enough to her situation. Both they and the hospital have submitted their reports to a third party, the Shenzhen Medical Dispute People’s Mediation Committee.
According to a lawyer for the hospital, if the committee finds the doctors to be in the wrong, the hospital will have to give Mrs. Zhu and her husband monetary compensation.
[Images via CUTV]
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