Ottawa General Hospital
This summer I went to emergency at 19 weeks pregnant because I woke up to fluid leaking. I had been bleeding on and off throughout the pregnancy. The emergency doctors told me everything was fine and that I could go home. I was suspicious so I asked if I should be on bedrest or anything and they said NO. I went back to work and continued exercising moderately, cycling to work, gardening, etc. 1 week later I began bleeding more and again went to emergency. Again, they said everything was fine and that I could go home. I did not believe them this time and asked to speak to a specialist. Because I was 19w 5d at this point they sent me to EMERGENCY rather than MATERNITY. I went to Soundcare Medical Centre the next day and the doctor sent me to maternity immediately saying my fluid was very low, cervix shortened and likely to go into preterm labour. How did the General Hospital Staff miss all the warning signs when a doctor at Soundcare took one look and identified that I was HIGH RISK? Had I been admitted a whole week prior when my fluid began to leak and put on antibiotics and bedrest there is a chance I could have saved the pregnancy.
When I arrived a week later in labour, they made me sit and wait on a bench for 30 minutes, I didn’t see a doctor for over an hour, and when he finally saw me I was fully dilated. The nurses in triage were rude and very unhelpful. They were all gathered outside talking as if I wasn’t there even though I was high risk, in labour, and no one had even taken my vitals.