• View ecochildsplay’s profile on Facebook
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Twitter
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Instagram
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Pinterest
  • View Jennifer Lance’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on YouTube
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Google+

Eco Child's Play

Live a greener, healthier life!

  • Environment
  • Pregnancy
  • Food & Recipes
  • Health News
  • Parenting
  • Green Toys
  • Beauty & Beauty Products
  • Green Home & Cleaning
  • Contact

Woman Has Hospital Birth, Dies of Meningitis

An otherwise healthy young woman entered a hospital to give birth. She contracted bacterial meningitis, was transferred to another hospital, and died.

While many people around the blogosphere has been pointing to the death of homebirth advocate Janet Frazer’s baby with a gigantic, “See?…See?!” (followed by a “Na-na-na-na-boo-bo!”), this, too can be an example of how even hospitals can–gasp!–royally screw things up.

Actually, 2 moms were infected in the maternity ward at Ohio’s Mary Rutan Hospital. Now, both the hospital and the CDC are baffled by the cases:

Babies were healthy, moms were healthy.

Well, the moms were healthy when they arrived. Not so much after giving birth.

[social_buttons]Soon, both were complaining of headaches and nausea. They were moved to the ICU and then later to another hospital for further treatment, where 30-year-old Susan Finch Ryan Simpson died. She leaves behind a husband and two daughters, one a 14-month-old and the other a healthy newborn.

Meanwhile, the public is being reassured about these cases. The staff has quarantined the supplies and medications used during both deliveries and are working with state and federal health experts to find out what went wrong. Some hospital staff were also tested.

Though the cause of the infections isn’t known yet, officials say that it is not the common type of meningitis, Neisseria meningitides, that transfers easily between people.

The ladies did not share a room and did not know each other.

The only commonality is both received spinal anesthesia.

Now an 11-month-old in the area also has meningitis that officials say is unrelated, as it is apparently a different strain. It is not clear whether the child was also a patient at the hospital, because of federal privacy laws. (Privacy laws for the hospital or patient?)

May I say it again? Hospitals are for sick people. The act of bringing life into this world does not inherently make one “sick”.

Let’s remember how safe home birthing is, shall we?

Image: baliston on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • More
  • WhatsApp
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe!

« Container Gardening With greenPots
Transport Canada Buckles Under Pressure: Agrees to Release Car Seat Test Results »

Comments

  1. Deborah says

    May 29, 2009 at 7:38 am

    That is tragic. And a reminder that hospitals are for SICK people. Not healthy pregnant women giving birth. Truly tragic. This makes me really sad and grateful that I had access to a wonderfully trained midwife and gave birth in the comfort, safety and cleanliness of my own home.

    Reply
  2. Danika says

    May 29, 2009 at 11:10 am

    This is definitely sad. It’s also a weird coincidence for me because my grad class is currently reading _The Rhetoric of Midwifery_, which basically talks about how the medical INDUSTRY in this country has strategically issued statements using carefully planned language in order to scare people away from births administered by midwives.

    Reply
  3. Amanda Moore says

    June 2, 2009 at 1:32 pm

    Homebirth midwives are consistently fighting for our rights as women to allow out of hospital births for the women and families who seek alternative maternity services. Home birth is the safest option in normal, healthy pregnancies.
    When we fight for our rights to practice and for womens rights on birth, we are constantly having to “prove” ourselves as competent practitioners. We readily gather statistics and share our birth outcomes with other birth professionals and to help establish home birth midwifery in our western culture. The OB/GYN and hospitals DO NOT have to report their birth outcomes to anyone and this is a MAJOR problem when considering the safest place to birth. I recommend anyone interested in this break down in health care to visit, Ina May Gaskin;s website: http://www.rememberthemothers.net Also known as The Safe Motherhood Project.
    Love and Light,
    Amanda
    Homebirth Midwife
    BIRTH YOUR BABIES AT HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  4. Heather says

    September 22, 2010 at 2:56 pm

    I know of three cases where people I love tried home birth and terrible things went wrong and they had NO idea how to fix them. My niece is a miracle-they rushed my sis-in-law to the hospital after my niece TORE out of her and the doctors saved her and my sis-in-law. Another friend was sexually molested by her midwife and had to confront the incident. And, my third friend got “stuck” (literally) trying to give birth to her 10 pound baby. It couldn’t happen- she finally quit trying to be a heroine and went to the hospital where they delivered her child. There is no right answer for all. I would never try home birth with these being the 3 stories that I personally know. I am glad to realize that it did work for some of you though.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search Content

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter


About Eco Child’s Play

Our ethos is to provide news, information, and opinions on natural, green parenting to help your family live a greener, healthier life! Additionally, we offer personal consulting services to help you achieve your green living goals.

Jennifer is a vegetarian, yoga teacher, gardener, hiker, teacher, and mother that has been living off-the-grid for over 20 years.

Contact Eco Child’s Play

Eco-Friendly Decorating: How Removable Wallpaper Can Reduce Waste

Plants Over Plastics! Repurpose Compostable Home Products

More from the archives!

How often should you change your razor blade?

5 Green Products: Phthlate-Free Glow-in-the-Dark EarthBall to Peeled Snacks Full of Food Additives to Avoid

Children’s Literature: The Treebobs and Air Rena

Cleaning Up The Holiday Mess: Eco Style

Celebrate the Earth: Music for a Green Planet

Convenient Plastic Container Free Dropps Laundry & Dishwashing Pods

cbd salve joy organics

CBD Products that Actually Deliver: Joy Organics

Information

  • About & Contact
  • Archive
  • Blog
  • Consulting Services
  • Disclaimer, Disclosure, & Sponsored Posts
  • Privacy Policy

“Eco-Friendly” Products: Ju-Ju-Be Bag and Bib

Down's Syndrome May Be Treatable in the Womb

Eco-Friendly Decorating: How Removable Wallpaper Can Reduce Waste

Scholastic Goes Green

School Papers Go Green

Popular Categories

  • Breastfeeding
  • Health News
  • Natural Childbirth
  • Parenting
  • Education
  • Product Review
  • Green Toys

Get our posts via email

Please stay in touch!

You might also like to read…

Vegetarian Recipes for Kids

Juil copper dot earthing shoes connect you to earth!

Climate Change Through Children's Eyes

Fluoride-Free, Eco-Cert Melvita Toothpaste for Children with Xylitol and Echinacea

Social Responsibilty: Eco Child's Play Donation

Copyright © 2023 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.