When Lisa Carter was gearing up for the arrival of her third child, she felt ready. Having already experienced a successful VBAC, she had her birth team prepped for the big moment. However, as fate would have it, she ended up delivering her baby in the family SUV parked right outside Sunnydale Regional Hospital.
Her birth photographer, Emily Rivera, was there to capture the event, initially expecting to document the birth inside the hospital. Instead, she ended up snapping some truly remarkable photos of the unexpected car delivery, which quickly made waves online.
While Lisa’s baby girl was born healthy, the situation took a stressful turn once they were admitted to the hospital. “After we were admitted, the baby was taken to the nursery for a checkup,” Lisa recounted. “The neonatologist ordered a blood culture, but allegedly the nurse didn’t clean her properly before taking the sample, which resulted in a positive test. This led to her being admitted to the NICU for 24 hours and receiving five rounds of antibiotics.”
After two additional tests came back negative, Lisa and her partner requested to be discharged, realizing the initial test must have been contaminated. “The bacteria they found was staphylococcus hominis, which is typically found on human skin,” she said. The couple now faces a $4,000 charge for the NICU stay, which they argue was due to the hospital’s error.
As if that weren’t enough, they were also slapped with a staggering bill of $7,431.45 for a delivery room charge, despite the fact that the baby was born in the vehicle. “I give full credit to the nurse who assisted as I delivered the head and the midwife who helped finish the delivery,” Lisa stated during a live video. “But to charge me nearly seven grand for a delivery in a car? That feels outrageous. I wasn’t even admitted until after I delivered the placenta.”
In response to Lisa’s concerns, the hospital issued a statement: “The services rendered were due to a complex delivery that required additional resources, including three nurses and a nurse midwife sent to the parking lot.” Lisa noted that the nurses merely held up sheets to shield the scene from bystanders. “It was quite the spectacle,” she added.
Despite the beautiful moment of bringing her daughter into the world, Lisa reflected on the stress that followed. “It was a lovely 24 hours, but that turned into a nightmare when we had to admit her to the NICU and deal with all that uncertainty,” she told us. “Honestly, I should have just stayed home and delivered her there.”
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Summary
Lisa Carter experienced an unexpected car birth outside Sunnydale Regional Hospital but faced hefty charges for NICU care and delivery room services, which she attributes to hospital errors. The surreal experience was documented by her photographer and garnered viral attention, but the aftermath proved to be a stressful ordeal for the family.