This is a horrifying story with a happy ending.
A British woman was told that she had suffered a miscarriage. The couple was told in June that their baby had died at about eight weeks in utero. The docs offered her abortifacients but the woman declined, saying she preferred to do it naturally.
A month later after nothing occured the woman was stunned to discover that the baby was still alive. Needless to say, the couple was both incredibly happy and really really ticked.
A news report shows:
The couple were elated to learn she was still pregnant, but furious with the hospital for the mistake.
“They could have aborted my baby while it was alive,” Kent told the Daily Mail. “How can the hospital make a mistake like that?”
Kent is due to give birth to the baby girl in February.
So a happy ending to a horrible story.
But it makes me wonder how often does something like this occur that we don’t know about because the mother agrees to taking an abortifacient. That’s a pretty scary thought.
The good news is that I’m sure after the lawsuit, the kid won’t have to worry about taking out student loans to go to college.
August 16, 2011 at 3:41 am
That happened to my Grandmother when she was pregnant with my uncle— they told her he was dead, and she'd have to wait to pass the baby (she saw a Catholic Dr.). A month or so later, she felt him kicking!
These mistakes are less common in the US today, because every OB office has an ultrasound machine and it's much harder to miss a heartbeat with that….
August 16, 2011 at 3:46 am
This is extremely prevalent in Irish hospitals. A friend of mine who was a GP helped save the lives of many babies whose parents had been told the child was dead and that the mother should have a D and C, sometimes after taking an abortafacient. The distraught women went to seek help from the GP, some knowing themselves that their baby was still alive, some seeking help to save the baby where a miscarriage was threatened, but had not in fact occurred though the hospital said it had. Some hospitals appear to have developped a culture of indifference about such "errors" and an unwillingness to put time and effort into saving a baby where miscarriage seems probable, and a willingness to preempt the baby's death by killing the baby by drug/D and C. It is v disturbing. It would seem certain hospitals have become contaminated by the abortion culture of countries where the obstetricians have practised.This is extremely prevalent in Irish hospitals. A friend of mine who was a GP helped save the lives of many babies whose parents had been told the child was dead and that the mother should have a D and C, sometimes after taking an abortafacient. The distraught women went to seek help from the GP, some knowing themselves that their baby was still alive, some seeking help to save the baby where a miscarriage was threatened, but had not in fact occurred though the hospital said it had. Some hospitals appear to have developped a culture of indifference about such "errors" and an unwillingness to put time and effort into saving a baby where miscarriage seems probable, and a willingness to preempt the baby's death by killing the baby by drug/D and C. It is v disturbing. It would seem certain hospitals have become contaminated by the abortion culture of countries where the obstetricians have practised.
August 16, 2011 at 4:05 am
There's a whole website devoted to these stories… http://www.misdiagnosedmiscarriage.com/
I have to admit that's one thing that haunts me about my first miscarriage. I saw the ultrasound screen myself, and I could clearly see that the baby wasn't moving and didn't have a heartbeat (my midwife and a nurse confirmed the diagnosis as well). Still, I sometimes wonder, and I often wish that I'd asked for an ultrasound prior to the D&C just to confirm.
August 16, 2011 at 4:16 am
My midwife had a patient who came in and had a very early miscarriage in the office.. a precious little one, tiny, encased in its sack. The patient was told to go home and rest and wait for the natural progression of things, as she didn't want a D&C., and to check back a month later. Low and behold, she was still pregnant!!! AND not only that, she went on to deliver TWINS!!! (So, she'd been pregnant with triplets.) Mary L.
August 16, 2011 at 5:30 am
For my own peace of mind, my SOP has been to ask the OB (pro-life to begin with, and very supportive) to schedule another ultrasound in a week's time. During the first trimester, besides the heartbeat being visible, there will be definite, measurable growth from week to week. Two ultrasounds, a week apart, with no visible heart beat and no change in baby's size, is about as definite as you can get.
Don't be so down on the "abortifacient" drugs either, please– sometimes meds or surgery are necessary when nature doesn't cooperate. I found the waiting period between knowing the baby was dead and actually "initiating" the miscarriage to be utterly brutal.
August 16, 2011 at 7:01 am
Margaret,
I didn't say anything at all negative about the drugs that may be taken after a miscarriage.
August 16, 2011 at 10:48 am
When my first daughter died in the womb, our doctor (Catholic) tried to induce labor. When that didn't work, she performed a c-section. The idea of dismembering our baby never even occured to us. We had a body to hold one last time and a child to name and bury. She was loved for the 28 weeks I carried her. It is frightening to me what passes for "care" in some hospitals.
Diane
August 16, 2011 at 2:10 pm
Wait, what? I don't see grounds for a major lawsuit here, since the damages are so slight.
I guess they could sue on the grounds that the misdiagnosis caused emotional distress for one month, but I can't imagine that one month of distress will add up to college tuition.
August 16, 2011 at 3:03 pm
The previous commenter doesn't seem to understand that if the mother had done as the doctors suggested and taken the drugs, they would have killed the baby and the drs would have been directly responsible.
August 16, 2011 at 3:07 pm
Margaret,
I am so sorry for your loss. You're in my prayers.
Matt,
You wrote, "…the mother has agreed to take an abortifacient." The term "abortifacient" certainly has a negative connotation in the pro-life community. I don't think it is necessary to call the drugs used to induce labor AFTER a true miscarriage has been diagnosed as "abortifacients."
August 16, 2011 at 3:30 pm
Margaret, the same thing happened to me, no growth or heartbeat at about 8 weeks. We did two ultrasounds to confirm. I'm still haunted by the idea that just maybe…but, I know my little one is praying for all of us including the two sisters that came after.
August 16, 2011 at 5:19 pm
Sorry, Matt, if I came across too strongly.
Abortifacient is just a really jarring term in this context, even though it's the most correct– strictly speaking, the situation where a baby has died in utero but hasn't been naturally expelled is termed a "missed abortion." Gag.
It does utterly boggle the mind, though, that anyone could be so nonchalant about declaring a miscarriage without setting a tolerably high threshold for confirming it. If above comments about the Irish hospitals are accurate, that is simply appalling.
So sorry for your loss, Lauren. No matter how many living children you have, nothing ever completely heals up the holes left by the lost ones. But now we just have MORE reason to want to reach Heaven someday, right? 🙂 And tiny little saints interceding in the mean time.
August 16, 2011 at 6:01 pm
This happened with my second child. My wife started spotting at 3 months. We went into the OBGYN's office and they couldn't find anything on ultrasound. Dr. asked if we wanted to schedule a DnC and we said no…it will happen naturally. About a month later because nothing had happened, went back in and found a baby's heart beat and everything. We were told it was most likely operator error. Thank God for my Son who is now a wonderful 4 year old boy.
August 16, 2011 at 6:19 pm
Well that's just terrifying..
August 16, 2011 at 7:44 pm
Jeezum.
Thank God that they didn't listen to him!
August 16, 2011 at 9:33 pm
In one Irish hospital they identified a faulty scanner that was showing up dead babies for some time. Now of course one must be very suspicious when you find that having identified this faulty scanner it was still in use for quite some time afterwards.
Furthermore the miscarriage rate, thanks to pressurizing pregnant women into taking untested (for pregnant women) swine flu jabs has jumped to such an extent it was noted in the live birth register. In Ireland health professionals reported a notable drop in the live birth rate. CDC in America noted a 700% increase in miscarriage.
Anonymous, I did get the impression that there are unofficial killing targets to satisfy. How else can you explain it. These doctors must be aware they are dealing with live babies here. You would know from the look of the body itself if the baby was dead for some time. I really don't understand it at all.
Ma Tucker
August 16, 2011 at 9:36 pm
Furthermore the miscarriage rate, thanks to pressurizing pregnant women into taking untested (for pregnant women) swine flu jabs has jumped to such an extent it was noted in the live birth register. In Ireland health professionals reported a notable drop in the live birth rate. CDC in America noted a 700% increase in miscarriage.
And folks got pissy at me for not going in to get vaccinated when I'm low risk in the first place….
August 16, 2011 at 9:49 pm
British healthcare system, here we come! We better get it right in 2012 or Obamacare will foist even worse horrors upon us and upon our children.
August 17, 2011 at 8:04 pm
My wonderful sister had this happen. She was having a miscarriage, and the doctor wanted a D&C. The nurse giving the ultrasound felt that something was wrong about the diagnosis, and spent an extra hour or so with my sister using the ultrasound machine. Lo and behold, she had been carrying twins and had lost one. The other was safe but nestled very low in the uterus where it was hard to spot her. She not only survived to be born on time, but is getting married next month. God be praised!
August 18, 2011 at 1:07 pm
This does make me feel relieved that our miscarriage (three days ago) happened naturally before the doctor's at the hospital could order a D&C… because although two ultra sounds had shown no heart-beat, wondering if there'd been a mistake would be horrible… Prayers for all of you who've struggled with something like that…