Emergency caesarean section could have huge consequences for Melissa and her son

When Melissa is 26 weeks pregnant, Frenky is discovered to have a rare intestinal obstruction, a ‘double bubble’. Fortunately, this is easy to operate, but as a result Melissa has too much amniotic fluid in her abdomen. As a result, there is a risk of placental detachment and premature delivery. She therefore comes under strict control in Nijmegen.

Reason for Melissa to go for a planned caesarean section. They don’t think that’s necessary at Radboud. They advise to drain the large amount of amniotic fluid with a puncture and then give birth naturally. “I was in a lot of pain and I was getting more and more scared. I thought more and more: if my water breaks at home, we might be too late and Frenky and I might not be there anymore,” says Melissa.

Multiple errors

She gives birth – not entirely without problems – in the university hospital in Nijmegen. But even after giving birth, several mistakes were made, according to Melissa. For example, her ureter becomes ‘overstitched’, causing her to lose a kidney and this is only discovered after three months. There are also problems with Frenky: he is born with a lack of oxygen and it is later revealed that he has had a ‘brain haemorrhage’. Now he’s probably half blind in both eyes. Against it AD she says: “It wouldn’t have had to end like this if they had acted as agreed and left me to my fate just before the birth. And also listened to me afterwards.”

Aftermath

Melissa holds Radboudumc liable for the damage to herself, her son and the (possible) consequences. Melissa is temporarily unable to work, suffers from depression and needs psychological help. Due to her poor health, her husband, who works as a self-employed person, takes care of the family. Since he cannot work because of this, their income drops. “We were in such bad shape that we even went to the food bank for a while,” she says.

Professional secrecy

A spokesperson for the hospital says AD know that the Nijmegen hospital ‘regrets what happened’: “We always try to learn from complications. We have repeatedly offered to talk to the family.”

After Melissa’s complaint, the Radboudumc therefore conducted an investigation. Their conclusion? No culpable mistakes have been made and there is an unexpected problem: “The healthcare professionals handled the spontaneous delivery adequately and worked according to protocol. They have not worked carelessly. That is why Radboudumc is not liable”.

crowdfunding

Melissa does not agree with the conclusion of the Nijmegen hospital that they are not at fault. That’s why she started a crowdfunding on gofundme.com. The money she raises with this is for legal assistance and an examination by an independent medical advisor.

Read the best stories, most recognizable columns and the best tips for you and your kids every month. Subscribe to Kek Mama now and get up to 45% off.

Source: AD