Table 3 PID 123—clinic birth—case analysis

The participant describes her birth as follows:

“I stood up and I felt something coming out of my vagina…it was the head of the baby. I screamed immediately shouting and calling nurses. The other nurse responded by saying “we are not your kids come to us”. I told them that I cannot move or even raise my leg because I was afraid the baby might fall, they ignored me and continue with their conversation. I had to drag my feet to the bed, and I could feel the head of the baby was stuck in the vaginal opening. When I get to the bed, they said I should get off that bed and go to the other bed. I had to drag my feet getting to the other bed….it was this time that they realized that this was something serious they came (nurses) and assisted me to deliver. I just pushed three times and the baby came out.”

The participant goes on to describe harm to her baby that she believes is due to negligence from the nurses:

“What was shocking is that my baby didn’t cry and the head of my baby including the face turned purple because the blood was not circulating while the head was stuck in the vaginal opening, she had internal bleeding even the (baby’s) mouth was purple. […] This is a very serious case of negligence because it is not as if the nurses were busy with something else, but they were just seating on the table chatting. It was very serious, and they even said themselves that I almost lost my baby.”

The participant’s baby was transferred to an advanced care hospital without her, “because there were no ambulances available…my baby had to leave first, and I followed a bit later.” This participant went on to describe continued lack of resources after arriving at the hospital ICU where her baby was being treated. She said, “When we got there, they [medical staff] were busy attending to her….it was very bad, as you can see the sores in her nose [from] the gastronomy tubes.” Though her baby was in the ICU for several days, the participant was “informed that there were no beds available for me, I slept in the passages for days.”

The participant goes on to describe her response to this incident. She states that she was “feeling very down, in fact I was feeling down for several days.” The participant says, “It was after five days that I hold her (her baby) in my hands for the first time.” She goes on to say “(crying) I got better and better when I saw the condition of my baby was improving.”

The participant was referred by study staff to speak with social workers

Harm and ill-treatment:

The participant describes receiving no help or assistance when she felt her baby was coming, or when she felt her baby was stuck

The participant also describes being treated as though she does not deserve care, when the nurse tells her “We are not your kids come to us.”

The participant perceives that her baby’s injury and resulting ICU stay were due to negligence from the nursing staff

Information and informed consent:

The participant describes confusion when trying to follow directions from the nurses, regarding which bed the participant should be on for birth

Dignity and respect:

The participant describes being treated disrespectfully, with nurses ignoring her calls for help and verbally dismissing her

The participant describes the nurses socializing with each other rather than providing her with requested care

Access to healthcare:

The participant describes being denied necessary medical care when the baby was stuck. She further describes lack of resources to emergency services, such as an ambulance for transportation, and facilities for her to stay with her baby in the ICU

Child separation:

The participant describes her baby being separated from her due to the lack of ambulances to transfer them to the advanced care facility together. She does not describe understanding or consent around separation from her child. She goes on to describe sleeping in hallways to stay with her baby in the ICU. The participant describes being distressed at being separated from her baby during transfer, and during the ICU stay