Newborn dies after bouncing on floor
2013-01-21 09:38
Johannesburg - A Pretoria mother has told how her premature
baby died following her nightmare labour at Kalafong hospital, during which the
baby fell on the floor, bounced, and the umbilical cord tore off.
Janine Meiring, 33, said a doctor was present when the baby
was born but he ignored her pleas and smiled at her, telling her to pick up her
baby, reported Beeld.
“I am seething. My tears ran dry. I don’t want recompense, but
for the doctor to be scrapped from the register. He should not work with women
or children,” said Meiring, who is considering legal action.
Premature labour
Meiring was 27 weeks pregnant when she went into labour on
Christmas Eve with baby Donovan and was taken to Kalafong Hospital in
Atteridgeville, which was apparently short-staffed. There were no porters or
wheelchairs.
Meiring told how she was made to walk to the sonar room
despite painful contractions.
"I could not keep it in anymore and in the sonar room
struggled to get on to the bed and vomited. The doctor walked in and did the
sonar, but ignored me when I asked about the baby."
She was then told to walk back to the nurses on her own.
"I said I could not and cried. The contractions were
out of control. He insisted I had to get off the bed and helped me off. I had
hardly taken two steps when I felt the baby’s head with my hand. I told the
doctor I could feel his head, but he said I should not touch there and pulled
my hand away.
"Then the baby arrived and slipped through my fingers
onto the floor.”
Bounced
According to Meiring, the baby landed so hard on the floor
that he bounced and hit his head a second time; Donovan’s umbilical cord was
ripped in two.
"I just looked at the doctor in disbelief. With a smile
told me I had to pick up the baby. He did nothing to help me."
Meiring picked up her baby and ran to the nurses as he was
struggling to breathe. The little boy later died and a paediatrician said his
death could have been caused by the head injury, blood loss due to the ruptured
umbilical cord, infection or undeveloped lungs because of the premature birth.
A hospital spokesperson said the incident was being
investigated.
