By Nigel Maxwell

Better care needed for mothers suffering loss, Sask. mother says

Jun 18, 2018 | 8:00 AM

A Warman woman shared her story of personal loss in an effort to get the Saskatchewan Health Authority to address what she calls severe understaffing in hospitals.

Amy Killick said her daughter was stillborn in 2017. Killick and her husband prepared for the birth since the 12-week stage when their baby was diagnosed with Trisomy 18, a condition caused by an error in cell division. Killick’s said her doctor told her the baby would likely die before being born and if born would breathe for a few minutes, an hour at most. Killick said the news was devastating and she was forced to make the toughest decision in her life.

“Induce your baby and say goodbye to him or her now, wait to see if the baby dies during pregnancy, or watch your baby die after being born,” she said.

Killick said she made the decision to continue carrying the baby and was induced at the 22-week stage at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon. Killick’s water broke the next day.

“Because of what I have now figured out are staff shortages, I sat with my water broken and she began to basically to deliver herself but I sat not attended to for basically 24 hours before someone was like ‘oh she’s starting to come out, we should probably try to push her out,’” Killick said.

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Killick said she experienced further complications during the delivery stage and spent another week in hospital due to an infection. She said her doctor informed her hospital staff had to call in two other doctors that day because of understaffing and a large number of emergency c-sections. The nursing staff was always very kind and compassionate, she said, but throughout her experience she witnessed a severe lack of staffing. After suffering her loss, Killick was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and has yet been unable to return to work.

“They really need to staff the hospital better, because the whole time there were two nurses running their asses off trying to get to 14 antepartum rooms and then there are three rooms in that wing designated for losses.”

Since her experience, Killick said she has heard from other women who had similar experiences. Killick encouraged anyone with concerns to write a formal complaint to the Saskatchewan Health Authority so that they are aware the need is there.

“I don’t want to make the hospital staff feel shameful that they are doing a horrible job, I just really think that we underestimate how often loss happens and the support for a loss is a lot different than what a mom of a live birth needs,” she said.

Empty Arms Paranatal Loss Support Services Inc. provides peer support in Saskatoon to mothers like Killick. Co-founder Brianna Koop said they go into hospitals and help the mothers however they can.

“We go into the hospital and provide support by helping them bathe these babies because they can be in really delicate condition when they are born,” she said.

Koop and her husband suffered their own loss in 2013. With help from a woman she met through an online peer support group, they created the organization which Koop said continues to evolve, and they provide support outside of hospitals through support groups, a lending library, and a new home in Saskatoon’s city park.

“Moms from Prince Albert or north of that will come to be induced at [Royal University Hospital], and if the induction doesn’t take right away then they are sent home, but clearly they can’t go home so they just sort of wander shopping malls and things like that,” she said.

Koop said she has seen several issues, including the lack of space, which also raised sensitivity questions.

“There isn’t a separate area at all for a loss of family, and so they either deliver with other live births or where other moms are labouring,” Koop said.

Koop said all her encounters with medical staff has been very positive, but she said she also recognizes the issue with understaffing. Sometimes, she added, it feels as though the mothers suffering losses are treated like a second priority. Koop said her organization has talked to hospital administration about the space concerns.

“So far we have been told there isn’t room and there’s not much they can do about it,” she said.

paNOW contacted the Saskatchewan Health Authority to ask about the issues raised by Killick and Koop.

“We do our best to provide the mother with a private room whenever possible,” Spokesperson Amanda Purcell said in a statement. “We strive to keep the mother’s experience as quiet, controlled, and comforting as possible. When time allows we also do our best to prepare the mother and family beforehand on what to expect during the delivery experience and what will follow.”

Hospital social workers may also meet with the mother and family to help provide additional emotional support when resources allow, Purcell said. 

“However, we also know that the type of care available for mothers experiencing a stillbirth is currently varied across the province,” Purcell said.

“As we continue to transition our operational services from 12 former health regions to one health authority, the policies and procedures that exist in each former health region will be reviewed and redeveloped by our leaders, with a goal to remove any potential barriers and provide the best quality healthcare possible in our province.”

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell