Hospital Censured After Woman Endures Painful Birth Experience

A woman at Whanganui Hospital in 2022 experienced severe pain during childbirth due to an improperly monitored epidural. Following an investigation, the Health and Disability Commission has censured Health New Zealand Whanganui for its inadequate care and staffing during the incident, which left the mother with significant physical trauma.

During the delivery, the woman repeatedly expressed her pain to the attending midwives, who advised her simply to push. This approach continued even as she struggled to cope with the discomfort. The midwife leading her care, who lacked the necessary qualifications to administer epidurals, did not realize that the epidural line had become dislodged. As a result, the woman received no pain relief despite having a pump to self-administer medication.

Hours into her labor, an obstetrician was called to assist with a forceps delivery. The doctor quickly identified the issue with the epidural line, which had rendered the pain relief ineffective. An anaesthetist was then brought in to reinsert the epidural. Approximately thirty minutes after the initial forceps attempt, the baby was delivered healthy, but the woman suffered a significant third-degree perineal tear.

The report from the commission highlighted that the midwife had been fixated on the notion that the woman needed to push, dismissing multiple requests for further pain management and a review by senior medical staff. In her testimony, the woman noted that she felt her concerns were ignored, and she was not made aware that the midwife overseeing her was a graduate without adequate experience.

Deputy Commissioner Rose Wall emphasized that Health New Zealand Whanganui was responsible for ensuring that a qualified midwife was present to monitor the epidural. The report stated, “This meant that Mrs. A’s epidural was not monitored appropriately, and she was subject to unnecessary pain, which had a significant impact on her birth experience.”

On the day of the incident, the hospital faced staffing shortages due to a higher-than-normal number of patients, including a complex case requiring intensive care. Health New Zealand Whanganui acknowledged that they should have engaged in a more collaborative process with the mother regarding her care.

In response to the incident, the midwife involved stated she has reflected extensively on the experience and has since obtained her epidural qualification. She expressed her commitment to advocating more assertively for patients in the future, stating, “Every mother deserves to feel safe and cared for and most certainly does not deserve to feel negatively about her labour and birth.”

The commission’s findings serve as a critical reminder of the importance of adequate staffing and proper monitoring in maternity care, which are essential to ensuring the well-being of mothers and their newborns.