NORA - USA
Stillborn
E. coli
Mother's Status: Testing not routine
Gestational Age: 40 weeks, 4 days
Age Harmed: 4 weeks, 4 days
NORA - USA
Stillborn
E. coli
Mother's Status: Testing not routine
Gestational Age: 40 weeks, 4 days
Age Harmed: 4 weeks, 4 days
I went into labor with my first child, Nora at 40 weeks and 3 days over due. The evening of Saturday, December 29th I was having back contractions before I went to sleep that night. Not wanting to wake my husband or leave for the hospital yet for what I was taught was the beginning of a long ahead labor I went to sleep at 9 pm that night after feeling Nora move a few times before I shut my eyes.
I noticed that her movement wasn’t as strong as usual and I needed to drink a class of cold water and eat a left over Christmas cookie to get her to move slightly. But she did move and I believed the false rumor that babies slow down before birth and we were only hours away from meeting her. Waking up five hours later in active labor we went to the hospital expecting to deliver our perfectly healthy baby that Nora had been for the whole pregnancy only to be told the heartbreaking words others too often hear, “I’m sorry...no heartbeat.”
Nora was born still after 40 weeks and four days of being pregnant with her. We said sweet hello and sad goodbye at the same time. Later learning through an autopsy, that Nora died of an e.coli infection that had made its way ascending up through my vaginal canal and had gotten through a microscopic tear in the membrane protecting her in my womb. An extremely rare occurrence we were told. I asked if having my membranes swept that Friday before had anything to do with getting the infection. Either to protect themselves or to protect my maternal choices I was told no by the doctors. But I will truly never know. I never tested positive for GBS in any of my pregnancies and I was tested each time and no one knows why e.coli took Nora. But all we know is that she was a rare soul who had an extremely rare fate.
I noticed that her movement wasn’t as strong as usual and I needed to drink a class of cold water and eat a left over Christmas cookie to get her to move slightly. But she did move and I believed the false rumor that babies slow down before birth and we were only hours away from meeting her. Waking up five hours later in active labor we went to the hospital expecting to deliver our perfectly healthy baby that Nora had been for the whole pregnancy only to be told the heartbreaking words others too often hear, “I’m sorry...no heartbeat.”
Nora was born still after 40 weeks and four days of being pregnant with her. We said sweet hello and sad goodbye at the same time. Later learning through an autopsy, that Nora died of an e.coli infection that had made its way ascending up through my vaginal canal and had gotten through a microscopic tear in the membrane protecting her in my womb. An extremely rare occurrence we were told. I asked if having my membranes swept that Friday before had anything to do with getting the infection. Either to protect themselves or to protect my maternal choices I was told no by the doctors. But I will truly never know. I never tested positive for GBS in any of my pregnancies and I was tested each time and no one knows why e.coli took Nora. But all we know is that she was a rare soul who had an extremely rare fate.