December 14, 2018 - I was 9 weeks pregnant when I went into labor. I was at home, alone. It was 6.30am. When I realize that I was bleeding I called 911. The paramedic arrived at 7am and my contractions were already 3 minutes apart. They decided to bring to Mount Sinai Hospital. There I was told to wait in a wheelchair. I wait an hour, I was bleeding and my contractions were 30 seconds apart, I was crying on my chair, I think at that point they realize that I was not okay. Thankfully there was only 3 people in the waiting room. The nurse bring me in a bed and asked me to lay on my back. At that point the pain was so intense that I was screaming. An obstetrician came quickly at 8am with a ultrasound and told me that he couldn’t see the baby and it was already gone. I was in so much pain that I didn’t realize what was happening. A nurse (a man) gave me some morphine, but it didn’t work and the contraction were more painful. As I was fully dilated they did 3 curettage will I was awake and in pain. I remember that the last curettage was so painful that I screamed more and my oxygen level dropped quickly so the nurse had to put me under oxygen. The only thing I remember in this pain fog was the warm hand of a nurse (a woman) who held my wrist during the last curettage. They gave more morphine but it didn’t work. At a certain point I explain that really needed to pee, the nurse did an ultrasound of my bladder and it was full. She brings me a chair and left me. After that the contraction were finished. The pain was finally over. It was 11:30am when my best friend came. I had to wait until 1pm for an other ultrasound to check if everything was gone. I was out of the ER at 4pm. I realize what happen when I closed the door of my apartment, and I cried.
My midwife told me that I had PTSD, I couldn’t fall asleep easily in the night, I was seeing everything in my mind for 30 minutes before to fall asleep. It lasted 2 weeks.
I ask professionals to listen the patient. My bladder was full and it was the reason why I had terrible contractions for hours even after the curettage. I figured this out, not the professional. When this happened I was just starting my doula’s training and it is well known that full bladder give stronger contractions.
I didn’t know I could give a feedback because nobody told me anything.
It was the worse experience in my life and today a rainbow baby is on his way and Mount Sinai Hospital is the last place on earth where I want to give birth.
Submitted by Manon
