By: Joshua James Abblett
Our childbirth experience at Patewood Hospital under Prisma Health was nothing short of a nightmareâan ordeal that still haunts us. The hospital’s refusal to let us stay overnight, despite Amber being in the throes of labor, was the first sign that our concerns would be dismissed rather than addressed. The drive to the hospital in the dead of night was a blur of fear and exhaustion, each mile stretching the limits of my ability to stay awake due to my sleep apnea. Arriving at the wrong hospital first felt like a cruel twist, adding unnecessary stress to an already harrowing situation. When we finally made it to Patewood, instead of being met with care and compassion, we were greeted with hostility, as though we were an inconvenience rather than a family in need. The chaos that followedâmy being forced to take on a role that should have been handled by medical professionalsâonly deepened our sense of abandonment and fear. The memory of pushing buttons on a fentanyl drip, knowing one wrong move could endanger Amberâs life, is something I will never forget. It was not just a failure of medical care; it was a betrayal of trust that left us scarred in ways that go beyond physical wounds. This led to a tense drive in the early hours, where we initially arrived at the wrong hospital due to the confusion and stress of the situation. Upon reaching the correct facility, we were met with hostility rather than the support we desperately needed.
Throughout Amberâs labor, I was actively involved, performing approximately 50-75% of the delivery work myself. The physician and physician staff were largely absent until the very end when they appeared just in time to “catch” our baby, as if he were a baseball in a glove, for the sake of meeting regulations. Dr. Haiden introduced herself to us in the middle of labor, only to leave shortly afterward, returning only for about five minutes at the very end of the delivery.
During this time, I was left with Nurse Debi to manage the labor, including tasks such as pushing on Amber’s belly and even operating medical equipment. I was instructed to push buttons on machines, including a fentanyl drip machine with an exposed button. When I expressed concern about the dangers of this setup, noting that it could seriously harm or even kill my wife if mishandled, the grievance staff member bluntly confirmed, “Yes,” twice.
After the delivery, when we were moved to a different floor, Dr. Haiden unexpectedly burst into our room, accusing me of having referred to her as a nurse. I clarified that I had never said such a thing. Instead, I had mentioned to Dr. Emerson that Dr. Haiden had been present for only about five minutes during the entire labor. Dr. Haiden, appearing aggravated by this clarification, stated, “All I did was hold a leg.”
Post-delivery, the challenges continued. Dr. Emerson, the pediatrician, displayed an alarming lack of professionalism. She attempted to escalate the situation by flagging us as non-compliant parents over concerns that were either misrepresented or outright fabricated. She questioned our decision to have a circumcision performed outside the hospital and exaggerated minor fluctuations in our babyâs blood sugar levels, despite them being within the normal range according to lab results.
Our requests for full treatment and an early discharge to care for our older child at home were met with resistance and further attempts to paint us as problematic. When we asked for a new doctor, the situation escalated further, resulting in our trusted nurse being replaced without explanation and security being brought into the room to intimidate us.
The lack of sanitation in our room was also a significant issue, with blood left on the floor from a previous patient. Despite these conditions, Dr. Emerson signed off on our discharge after we insisted on a different doctor. However, this led to an unnecessary investigation by DSS, which involved questioning our older child at school behind closed doorsâan invasive and distressing experience for our family. The DSS investigation ultimately found no wrongdoing, but it left us shaken and disillusioned with the healthcare system.
The overall experience at Patewood Hospital was not only traumatizing but also stripped away the joy and sanctity of what should have been a celebratory moment in our lives. The combination of medical negligence, unprofessional behavior, and unnecessary escalation has left a lasting impact on our family, making it clear that the healthcare providers at Prisma Health failed us during one of the most important times in our lives.
Excerpt From We Come In Peaces: The Abblett File