When Sarah Thompson was gearing up for her third childbirth, she felt fully prepared. Having successfully navigated a VBAC previously, she had her support team ready for what she thought would be a smooth hospital delivery. However, life had other plans, and she ended up giving birth in the family SUV right outside St. James Medical Center.
Sarah’s birth photographer, Emily Johnson, was on site expecting to capture the birth inside the hospital. Instead, she found herself documenting a remarkable event unfolding in the parking lot. The stunning photos quickly gained traction online, showcasing the unexpected beauty of a car birth.
While Sarah’s baby girl, Mia, was born healthy, the story took a distressing turn once they entered the hospital for post-delivery care. “After we were admitted, they took Mia to the nursery for a checkup. The neonatologist ordered a blood culture,” Sarah recounted. She alleged that the nurse failed to properly clean Mia before the blood draw, leading to a positive result and an unnecessary 24-hour NICU stay, which included five doses of antibiotics.
After two subsequent tests yielded negative results, Sarah and her husband, Mark, requested to be discharged, realizing the initial test must have been contaminated. “The bacteria found was staphylococcus hominis, which is normally present on human skin,” she explained. Despite the couple’s claims that the NICU admission stemmed from the hospital’s error, they were slapped with a $4,000 charge for the NICU stay and an additional $7,431.45 for a delivery room fee — for a delivery that technically happened in their Jeep.
“I appreciate the nurse who helped suction Mia when she was born and the midwife who assisted with the rest of the delivery,” Sarah said during a Facebook Live video discussing the ordeal. “But to be charged over seven grand for a delivery that took place in the parking lot? That’s just absurd. I wasn’t even admitted until after I had delivered the placenta.”
In a statement, the hospital responded, “The services provided were due to a complex delivery resulting from rapid labor and delivery. Our Labor and Delivery Unit dispatched three nurses and a nurse midwife to the parking lot to assist with the delivery of the baby.” Sarah noted that the nurses merely held up sheets to shield them from onlookers. “It turned into quite the spectacle,” she added.
Reflecting on the experience, Sarah said, “The first 24 hours were beautiful, but the next 24 felt like a nightmare as we worried about Mia’s health. In hindsight, I wish I had just stayed home and had her there.” For more insights on this topic, check out our post on cervical insemination and its complexities. If you’re exploring at-home insemination options, consider visiting a reputable retailer like Make a Mom for quality artificial insemination kits. For additional information on pregnancy and home insemination, the CDC offers excellent resources that can guide you through your journey.
In summary, Sarah’s unexpected car birth outside the hospital turned into a tale of both joy and frustration, especially when faced with hefty bills for services related to a situation that stemmed from hospital error.
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