Family fuming over baby’s broken arm during delivery at Evander Hospital

Giving birth to a baby is normally a happy and memorable occasion for many mothers. This was, however, not the case for young teen mom, Siphokazi Sukazi (16) who gave birth to her son, Wesley Smith, at Evander Hospital on May 4.

Speaking to the Ridge Times, Siphokazi’s mother, Georgina Smith, explained her daughter went to a private doctor when she noticed spotting.

“Because she is a high-risk pregnancy and a minor, the doctor said she must go to Evander Hospital. He did a scan and said the baby was breached,” said Georgina.

Siphokazi was examined at Evander Hospital’s maternity ward and told she was in labour. The baby had not yet crowned, nor had Siphokazi dilated, according to Georgina.

She was, however, experiencing early labour pains.

“After the exam, the personnel told me I could not go further into the maternity ward with her and had to wait outside. They eventually told me to go home and bring her necessary things because she is in labour,” said Georgina.

She tried to explain to the nurses the baby was breached, and the private doctor they had seen earlier confirmed this.

“They did not even give me a chance to explain and requested me to leave. They said that they knew their jobs and did not need to be told what to do,” said Georgina.

She left the hospital but, on her way home, felt unsettled and went back to the hospital.

“When I got there, the night shift was taking over. They told my daughter to go to her bed, which she didn’t even have yet. When I queried about her bed, they requested me to leave and let them do their jobs,” said Georgina.

She said to the nurses they were not following procedures because her daughter is a minor and a parent needs to be present.

“They told me not to tell them what to do. I then left the hospital,” said Georgina.

At around 3:30 on the morning of May 4, Georgina was restless and tried to call her daughter, unbeknown to her, that Siphokazi was giving birth.

According to Siphokazi, her labour was induced. She cannot recall her water breaking but recalls the whole ordeal as excruciating pain with no pain relief.

“One nurse was angry and asked why I brought breaches and mistakes here. They told me to push, and that there is no time for a C-section,” said Siphokazi.

She said a nurse instructed her to hold her thighs and push while the nurse was applying pressure to her upper belly and ‘pressing’ the baby down.

“I was told not to scream and that if I scream, it means I am not pushing. The nurse even told me not to show my teeth,” said Siphokazi.

She said when her baby was born, the nurse told her the arm was ‘flexing’. Siphokazi saw that her newborn baby’s arm was broken.

“They told me the broken arm was nothing big and that because the baby is young, he will heal quickly,” said Siphokazi.

X-rays were taken of the baby’s arm, but according to Georgina, she was not allowed to see these.

An upset Georgina said, “Nursing professionals take an oath to serve and treat their patients. However, the way nurses treat mothers, especially first-time mothers, is very traumatic.

“I am her mother. She is my minor child, and that is my grandchild. I had every right to be with her during the delivery and when nurses and doctors were explaining medical terms, of which my daughter is still too young to properly understand,” said Georgina.

The family is concerned that more damage was done to the baby during delivery. There were visible signs of a glow, swelling and flinching of the baby’s left leg. According to the family, this was not examined, even when pointed out numerous times.

Georgina did, however, say that upon her daughter and grandson’s discharge from the hospital on May 7, the doctor did acknowledge the family’s grievance, but Georgina said it was more of “covering up.”

The baby went for a check-up on May 14.

“The doctor sent us for x-rays. He said the fracture was healing and did not see any other problem. However, he did say if anything comes up as time goes by, including the baby’s leg, we must bring him back,” said Georgina.

According to Georgina, the doctor said the pain the baby is experiencing is the healing of the fractures and that the baby will be okay and will heal up.

“The doctor said the staff should have been more careful about what they were doing, that it was not something that could have happened by mistake and that they should have been more open from the beginning,” concluded Georgina.

The Ridge Times reached out to the hospital’s CEO Madala Ndlovu for comment.

Ndlovu referred the Ridge Times to spokesperson Dumisani Malamule, who said, “The matter will be fully investigated.”

Ndlovu did, however, also respond to WhatsApp saying, “We are aware of this case, though we can’t comment that much. But this was a difficult breech delivery where our main aim was to save the life of both the mother and the neonate.

“Normally such injuries or fractures do happen, and most mothers who had the same experience can attest to that.

“Mothers are being redressed and requested to do follow-ups and the review dates with our competent doctors, who will then refer further to the orthopaedic specialist through our next level of care, as per developmental stages of the baby,” said Ndlovu.