A RUSTENBURG mother who lost her newborn baby, barely four hours after birth yesterday accused nurses at the Boitekong Medical Centre of negligence.
Nothini Pholoholo, 32, is still trying to come to terms with the loss her child after giving birth on January 24.
She puts the blame squarely on the nursing staff, saying they showed little experience.
She was admitted to the centre last Tuesday at 3am after complaining of feeling unwell and hemorrhaging.
On her arrival at the centre she was taken to the labour room, where she was left unattended for more than an hour.
Pholoholo said after a while she felt the baby's leg coming out and alerted the nurses on duty. But instead of delivering the baby they placed a sanitary napkin between her legs to slow down the bleeding. This did not help.
"She inserted her hand and told me she could feel the head but it was my baby's legs," said Pholoholo, adding that she was not aware that her baby was in breech.
"When I gave birth she (the nurse) was reluctant to help me. I had to scream to get attention.
"She then started swearing at me and told me to push until I delivered.
"I heard my baby cry, but I was never given the opportunity to hold her in my arms."
Pholoholo said the nurse then told her that her daughter had respiratory problems (she had difficulty in breathing).
She said she also noticed that the baby was not breathing properly and that her feet and arms appeared pale.
She alerted the nurse about her baby's groaning and abnormal breathing.
The nurse, according to the emotional Pholoholo, then called an ambulance. She and the baby were then taken to Paul Kruger Hospital.
At the hospital the doctor, aided by other medical officials, rushed off with the baby. Soon after the commotion she was informed that her baby had died.
Though no postmortem was carried out, according to Pholoholo, the death certificate stated that the child died as a result of natural causes and respiratory failure.
A spokesman for the North West health department, Tebogo Lekgethwane, said they would investigate the matter before making any statement.
'Nurses killed my baby'
A RUSTENBURG mother who lost her newborn baby, barely four hours after birth yesterday accused nurses at the Boitekong Medical Centre of negligence.
Nothini Pholoholo, 32, is still trying to come to terms with the loss her child after giving birth on January 24.
She puts the blame squarely on the nursing staff, saying they showed little experience.
She was admitted to the centre last Tuesday at 3am after complaining of feeling unwell and hemorrhaging.
On her arrival at the centre she was taken to the labour room, where she was left unattended for more than an hour.
Pholoholo said after a while she felt the baby's leg coming out and alerted the nurses on duty. But instead of delivering the baby they placed a sanitary napkin between her legs to slow down the bleeding. This did not help.
"She inserted her hand and told me she could feel the head but it was my baby's legs," said Pholoholo, adding that she was not aware that her baby was in breech.
"When I gave birth she (the nurse) was reluctant to help me. I had to scream to get attention.
"She then started swearing at me and told me to push until I delivered.
"I heard my baby cry, but I was never given the opportunity to hold her in my arms."
Pholoholo said the nurse then told her that her daughter had respiratory problems (she had difficulty in breathing).
She said she also noticed that the baby was not breathing properly and that her feet and arms appeared pale.
She alerted the nurse about her baby's groaning and abnormal breathing.
The nurse, according to the emotional Pholoholo, then called an ambulance. She and the baby were then taken to Paul Kruger Hospital.
At the hospital the doctor, aided by other medical officials, rushed off with the baby. Soon after the commotion she was informed that her baby had died.
Though no postmortem was carried out, according to Pholoholo, the death certificate stated that the child died as a result of natural causes and respiratory failure.
A spokesman for the North West health department, Tebogo Lekgethwane, said they would investigate the matter before making any statement.
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