Most people know that childbirth can easily be one of the most painful things that a woman can go through. Modern medicine has made it somewhat easier for women to give birth as pain free as possible. But for one woman, childbirth was significantly much more painful than it should have been after nurses forced her baby’s head back into her womb during labor, causing her to suffer from permanent injury.
Mother Wins 16 Million Dollars In Lawsuit Against Hospital Because She Had A Painful Birth
By
Editorial Staff in
Life Style
On 15th August 2016
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#1 Courage.
"I feel like, from all the messages I've gotten, many women finally feel like they can talk about (birth trauma). I hope my talking about it openly will encourage more women to do so," said Malatesta, as reported by AL.com.
#2 Advertisement.
Caroline Malatesta was getting ready to become a fourth time mother when she saw the ads for a new hospital in her hometown of Alabama that focused on natural births.
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#3 Interest.
"Brookwood's advertising is what first piqued my interest in natural birth. It added a layer of legitimacy. Natural birth wasn't just a trend; these were real medical decisions," said Malatesta
#4 Decision.
When she was only 20 weeks pregnant, Malatesta made the decision to switch hospitals after speaking to a doctor, choosing Brookwood over the hospital where she had already given birth to her three other children.
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#5 Influence.
"What was promised online and then confirmed through my doctor was the most influential," said Malatesta.
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#6 Contractions.
Then came the day when it was time for Malatesta to give birth. After a few hours of contractions, Malatesta and her husband J.T. rushed her to Brookwood, where Malatesta was promised to have a natural and comfortable childbirth.
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#7 Labor.
"When I first walked into my room, I was told by my nurse, 'You need to get on your back in the bed for monitoring and you may be there for the rest of your labor. That raised a red flag," said Malatesta, who had been promised she would be able to move around thanks to wireless monitoring.
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#8 Explanation.
However despite her attempts at explaining to the nurse that this wasn't what she and her doctor had discussed, no one would listen to her. Before her doctor could arrive, Malatesta's water broke.
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#9 Delivery.
"The nurse told me to get on my back. I stayed on my hands and knees and breathed, trying to relax, as that is what came naturally to me. But the nurse pulled my wrist out from under me and flipped me over on to my back! Then another nurse held my baby's head into my vagina to prevent him from being delivered," said Malatesta, as reported by Cosmopolitan.
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#10 Struggle.
It would be over five minutes of Malatesta struggling against the nurses before the doctor finally showed up and she was able to finally deliver her son Jack.
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#11 Pain.
What nurses and Malatesta didn't know is that as a result of the nurse holding the child inside, Malatesta would be left with a painful condition that she continues to struggle with years after having given birth.
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#12 Trauma.
"Because of the trauma I sustained from fighting while birthing, I now suffer from a permanent and debilitating nerve condition called pudendal neuralgia," says Malatesta, as reported by Cosmopolitan.
#13 Law.
Over the course of the next two years, Malatesta would attempt to get answers from the hospital and her doctors, demanding to know why her birth had gone the way it did. When the hospital refused to cooperate, Malatesta was left with no choice but to sue.
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#14 Hospital.
"I had no other choice but to file a lawsuit, because they weren't going to listen otherwise. The hospital made it very clear they were uninterested in settling. I don't think they took me seriously," says Malatesta, as reported by Cosmopolitan.
#15 Award.
Eventually, Malatesta won her suit against Brookstone, with the court awarding her $16 million for her traumatizing experience. News of the suit reached other women who had also gone through similar experiences, and who reached out to Malatesta, praising her for coming forward.
