S23 Ep4: Hell House

Summary

Something Was Wrong: Episode S23 E4 – Hell House

Release Date: March 6, 2025

Introduction

In the gripping episode titled "Hell House," Amanda shares her harrowing experience with Origins Birth and Wellness, a birth center she chose in Dallas, Texas, hoping for a personal and supportive environment for her childbirth. This detailed account uncovers the discrepancies between her expectations and the alarming realities she faced, shedding light on broader issues within midwife-led birth centers.

Choosing Origins Birth Center

Amanda and her husband meticulously planned their pregnancy and childbirth experience. They opted for a birth center over a hospital or home birth to maintain proximity to medical facilities while seeking a more intimate setting. “I wanted everything to be unmedicated. That's why we chose the birth center route,” Amanda explains (17:44).

She chose Origins in Dallas based on its appealing aesthetics and a friend's positive experience. The birth center featured three uniquely decorated birth suites designed to feel homely yet professional. Amanda appreciated the variety, noting, “It's kind of like being at home, but you're not going to have to clean up or deal with any of the after stuff” (09:57).

Early Pregnancy Care

During her early pregnancy, Amanda attended prenatal appointments at Origins’ clinic, separated from the birth suites. She interacted primarily with Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) and occasionally with student midwives. While she felt confident in the care, she noticed occasional delays and cancellations of appointments. “They tried to really keep you on a schedule of you see this person and you won't see them again for, like, two or three visits,” she recounts (12:21).

Labor at Origins: A Nightmare Unfolds

Amanda’s labor began unexpectedly soon after her IUD removal. Initially, she and her husband felt prepared, having arranged playlists, essential oils, and other comforts. However, things quickly deteriorated. Upon arriving at the birth center for a tour, Amanda found that the midwives present were not consistent with those who initially recommended Origins to her. “Little did we know it would turn out to be a total nightmare” (02:50).

As labor progressed, Amanda encountered several troubling issues:

• Lack of Consistent Care: The owners, Caitlin and Gina, were absent during critical moments. Amanda notes, “Caitlyn was the one that gave the tour, and then I never saw either of them for the rest of the time” (09:57).
• Inadequate Medical Support: Despite being 10 centimeters dilated and fully effaced, Amanda experienced prolonged labor with minimal intervention. “They were very condescending to my husband. One of them said, 'Oh, does daddy need a snack and a nap?'” she recalls (30:48).
• Environmental Distress: The presence of other women giving birth simultaneously created a chaotic and unsupportive environment. Amanda felt her body was not comfortable and her support system was inadequate. “We were laying there all night listening to the lady next door have her baby screaming, crying, carrying on. It was kind of traumatizing” (25:53).

Transfer to Hospital and Emergency Care

After enduring nearly two days of labor without satisfactory progress, Amanda was eventually transferred to a hospital. The transfer was delayed despite her being fully dilated, leading to severe exhaustion and dehydration. “I had 700 milliliters of tea-colored urine. That's how dehydrated I was” (33:56).

At the hospital, Amanda was diagnosed with chorioamnionitis, a severe infection caused by prolonged labor and ruptured membranes. Immediate medical interventions, including antibiotics and an epidural, were administered to manage her condition and facilitate the birth of her ten-pound baby. Reflecting on the transfer, Amanda expressed frustration: “I think we should have been transferred much sooner than we were” (33:56).

Aftermath: Healing and Survivor Support

Postpartum, Amanda faced additional disappointments with Origins. Promised postpartum care and follow-up appointments were neglected. In response to her traumatic experience and others' similar stories, Amanda co-founded a Facebook group named Survivors of Origins, Birth and Wellness. “Kristen created a survivors group on Facebook that has reached over 40 women now that have all had traumatic births with Origins” (48:37).

Amanda confronted Caitlin, the owner, expressing her dissatisfaction and demanding better standards. Despite Caitlin’s attempts to offer superficial remedies like herbal baths, Amanda remained adamant, stating, “I will never step foot back in that hell house” (41:36). Her advocacy aims to prevent future women from enduring similar traumas.

Conclusion: Systemic Issues and Moving Forward

Amanda’s story highlights significant shortcomings in midwife-led birth centers, particularly concerning consistent medical care, adequate support during labor, and transparent communication. Her experience underscores the need for stricter regulations and oversight to ensure the safety and well-being of expectant mothers and their babies.

In her own words, Amanda encapsulates the essence of her journey: “There are so many people who have been hurt by these midwives who didn't get to meet their baby or who did meet their baby in terrible, terrible circumstances” (41:36). Through her courage and resilience, Amanda not only found healing but also became a pivotal voice advocating for safer childbirth practices.

Notable Quotes

• Amanda on Choosing the Birth Center: “I wanted everything to be unmedicated. That's why we chose the birth center route.” (17:44)
• Amanda on Inadequate Support: “They were very condescending to my husband. One of them said, 'Oh, does daddy need a snack and a nap?'” (30:48)
• Amanda on Transfer Delay: “I think we should have been transferred much sooner than we were.” (33:56)
• Amanda on Advocacy: “I will never step foot back in that hell house.” (41:36)

Final Thoughts

Amanda's narrative serves as a poignant reminder of the critical importance of trust, consistency, and professionalism in maternal healthcare. "Something Was Wrong" not only chronicles her personal ordeal but also calls for systemic changes to protect and empower survivors of traumatic childbirth experiences.

Transcript

[Tiffany Reese]

Wondery subscribers can listen to Something Was Wrong early and ad free right now. Join Wondery in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Something Was Wrong is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about the drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds because Progressive offers discounts for paying in full, owning a home and more. Plus, you can count on their great customer service to help when you need it. So your dollar goes a long way. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance, Progressive Casualty Insurance company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations. Why not let Audible expand your life by listening? Explore over a million audiobooks and exclusive Audible originals that' inspire and motivate you. Just open up the app and tap into your well being with advice and insight from leading influencers, experts and professionals. Whatever your focus or interest, there's a listen for it on Audible. There's so much opportunity and more to imagine when you listen. Let Audible help you reach your goals you set for yourself. Start listening today when you sign up for a free 30 day trial at audible.com that's audible.com SWW for a free 30 day trial. Something was Wrong is intended for mature audiences. This season contains discussions of medical negligence, birth trauma and infant loss, which may be upsetting for some listeners. For a full content warning, sources and resources, please visit the Episode Notes Opinions shared by the guests of the show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of myself, Broken Cycle Media and Wondery. The podcast and any linked materials should not be misconstrued as a substitution for legal or medical advice. Origins, Birth and Wellness owners and midwives Caitlin Wages and Gina Thompson have not responded to our requests for comment. Additionally, midwives Jennifer Crawford and Elizabeth Fewell have also not returned our request for comment. This season is dedicated with love to Malik.

[Amanda]

Know anybody until you talk to someone? My name is Amanda and I had my son July 11th of 2023. He is now 15 months old. Me and my husband had done a lot of research about how we wanted our pregnancy and labor to look. I didn't necessarily have an OB that I loved. I had a nurse practitioner that I had seen several times and I absolutely loved her, but I knew that she wouldn't be the one to deliver my baby. I did a lot of research and built my case. We had talked a lot about it. This is how I want things to go and I wanted him to be able to be involved for him to cut the cord. He was going to catch the baby. He was real gung ho about all of it. That was the decision that we made was to go this birth center route. That was a good happy medium between being in a hospital with bright lights or being at home where we didn't know what we were doing. I was interested in a home birth, but I was like, I'd like to be closer to a hospital and have more support. I went to the birth center expecting a much more personal experience. I wanted to feel like I could be friends with these women because you want to be comfortable in that space. It's so personal. You're so vulnerable in this stage. You feel like you want to be able to know that you can communicate with this person. And maybe a 70 year old man isn't going to know where you're coming from. I think that's why a lot of people in this situation have chosen a birth center or a midwife. I found a birth center in Dallas called Origins. They had amazing photos and an amazing birth center. I actually had a friend who gave birth at origins in 2021. So I had talked to her about it. She had an amazing experience. I talked to my husband about it and we decided that that was the route that we wanted to go. Little did we know it would turn out to be a total nightmare. The friend that I knew that had her baby at Origins actually was my photographer for labor. And come to find out none of the midwives that she had seen were even there anymore. The whole situation had changed drastically from when she had been there. She had recommended something that didn't really exist anymore. I went in for a preconception appointment at Origins Dallas to just kind of talk about what do I need to do to prepare to be pregnant. Are there supplements I should be taking or my cycle's pretty normal, do I need to be tracking that? Things like that. And I saw the CNM there that day and she was like, you just keep doing what you're doing. Here's a supplement or two. I don't remember what she gave me, but keep us posted, let us know how things are going. I think we're doing okay now and if it goes a few months, then we'll do some labs. And I was like, okay. So I actually went to Mexico a couple weeks later for my sister in law's bachelorette party and my husband came and met me down there. So we stayed a few days after the bachelorette party just to hang out. We went fishing and I get motion sick. I Was kind of warm. There was no breeze. And I got sick over the side of the boat. We get back to the hotel, and I had taken a few of those little strips with me. I peed on a strip, and it was positive. We actually weren't even thinking that it would happen that fast. You hear so many stories about people that have tried for years and years, and we didn't expect it to happen the same month that I had my IUD removed. So I'm sending a message to the midwife while I'm on vacation. And we made an appointment. I wanted to see their spiel. We went in for the tour, me and my husband Chris, but I was already in care with them. It ended up being two hours. There were other families. There were some that were, like, planning for another or moved here and needed care and wanted to do a tour or planning to have a baby. So there were all different types of families. The birth center in Dallas, there are two separate buildings. One is the clinic, which is where you go for your prenatal appointments. And that opened up right before I started care. So that's where all my prenatal appointments were. And then the birth center is a historic house on Swiss Avenue in Dallas. And the birth center was gorgeous. It's an old historic house. They have three beautiful birth suites with round tubs in the rooms, and they're decorated, and each one's a little different. You can kind of have your choice of which birth suite you prefer. One of them was, like, a little more log cabin y florally, and it was really a really gorgeous room. And then there was one it was a little moodier with, like, palm trees and things like that, which is the one that I chose. And then the one downstairs was pretty girly with mirrored side tables and pink velvety duvet on the bed. So they're all different vibes. It's kind of like being at home, but you're not going to have to clean up or deal with any of the after stuff. They talked a lot in the tour about how they have a fabulous relationship with Baylor University Medical center right down the street. They have a good relationship with the ambulance company. They actually, quote, unquote, trained the EMTs how to transfer women in labor. Come to find out, none of that is really true, but they sold it. You had this amazing picture painted in your mind that nothing's gonna go wrong. They said their transfer rates were 10%, and most people transfer because of maternal exhaustion, not because of complications. Going into it, you feel really safe, like you've made the right decision, and there really aren't enough statistics in Texas or the United States for them to be spewing statistics like that. According to Origins, Origins is the best. Caitlyn was the one that gave the tour, and I. She felt like she was going to be really involved in the whole thing. She was never there. I'm almost positive I never saw her again.

[Tiffany Reese]

Caitlin and Gina, those were the owners, and they were both certified midwives, right?

[Amanda]

Yes, they are both certified professional midwives, and they both are licensed. I saw Caitlyn at that tour, and then I never saw either of them for the rest of the time. I started care, it might have been like Halloween. It was because I was wearing cat ears to my first appointment for prenatal stuff at Origins. At the beginning, I took some labs, and my progesterone didn't seem to be going up how it should have been.

[Tiffany Reese]

Progesterone is a hormone that supports menstruation and maintaining a pregnancy. Low levels of progesterone hormone can cause complications in pregnancy and can be given as a medication that comes in capsule form.

[Amanda]

So they put me on progesterone, and I took the pills as they told me to. And then I got to the end, and I had, like, three pills left. I sent them a message, and I was like, what am I supposed to do now? And they were like, well, you need to come back in for labs, but we can't get you in until next week. You should keep taking them and we'll wean you off. And I'm like, well, that's weird. Why didn't anybody tell me that before now? What if I had just stopped taking them? That seemed kind of strange to me. I had a ton of appointments canceled or rescheduled at the beginning. I feel like you hear stories about that at the OB's office. They're delivering babies, so you either have to see somebody else or you have to be rescheduled. So while it was frustrating, I didn't necessarily think that that was call for concern. Not necessarily normal, but also not abnormal. I thought that my care was mostly good. I saw all of the midwives pretty regular. They tried to really keep you on a schedule of you see this person and you won't see them again for, like, two or three visits. So I saw everyone at one point, Jennifer Crawford, she was out for several weeks, so I didn't see her until my glucose appointment. They do their glucose appointments in groups, so you get to go and meet other moms that are due generally in the Same time you are. And they talk to you about packing your bag and all these things. So you get to go and do it as a group so you're not just sitting there by yourself.

[Tiffany Reese]

And most of the people that you were seeing for prenatal care, were those midwives or were they students?

[Amanda]

For the preconception appointment, she was a CNM. And then I saw CPMs for the rest of my appointments. And then there was a student she was associated with Elizabeth, and she was always with somebody. There were some other students that were in and out, but they were there to, like, draw blood and things like that. I never saw them really for any appointments.

[Tiffany Reese]

In those appointments, did you feel confident in the care you were receiving at that time?

[Amanda]

Yes. There wasn't really anything that I saw that was weird. There were a couple of appointments towards the end where they said a few things that made you kind of think, is that normal? Like, my son ended up being ten pounds when he was born. I was almost nine pounds, and my husband was eight and a half when he was born. So we were expecting a big baby. At that appointment, she said, oh, he's measuring really big. And I guess at whatever point that was, he shouldn't have been that big. She was like, I'm not gonna write that in your chart, though. And I was like, well, that's kind of weird. And my mom brought it up. She had been at that appointment with me, and she was like, that's kind of weird that she said that. That was Jennifer. Jennifer was a CPM when I was in care with her.

[Tiffany Reese]

Jennifer Crawford was allegedly an unlicensed student midwife while caring for Kristin during her pregnancy labor at Origins Birth and Wellness. However, Jennifer did later receive her certified professional midwife license from the Texas Department of Licensing and regulation on May 20, 2022, before Amanda's care.

[Amanda]

I didn't see Jennifer until the glucose appointment. And then I saw her for several appointments towards the end, like, at 32 or 36 weeks. I didn't have any complications. They always checked my blood pressure. My blood pressure was always fine. I know that can be a sign of preeclampsia, but that never came up. They never had to retake my blood pressure. The swelling did get pretty extreme. I felt like that was kind of normal for me. There are times in my life when I swell, like flying on an airplane or things like that. So I never was alarmed by anything that had to do with my pregnancy. My baby was due in July. I gained 60 pounds. My back hurt the whole time. It was hot. My office air conditioner wasn't working very well so I was hot and sweaty and swollen, but I felt pretty. My hair was long and gorgeous and my ponytail looked great. We were really blessed to be able to enjoy that time in our lives regardless of the Texas heat. We have a pool so I had that to help me. I'm really thankful. For sure.

[Tiffany Reese]

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[Amanda]

I'd never been through this, so I didn't have a real clear picture, but there were a few things. I wanted everything to be unmedicated. That's why we chose the birth center route. I made playlists for all the situations. I had a playlist for that really transitional time. So I wanted some calming songs about love and the Getting the Baby out playlist, like some rap and R and B. I don't even know if we turned on any music while we were there. Maybe at the very beginning. I spent weeks on this playlist. I was very prepared. I didn't know what it was gonna look like. I'm like, yeah, we'll just turn on a playlist. I'll have full control. It was great in concept. I picked out essential oils so that maybe the place would smell a little bit more like home. I had a tins unit because I know that my back always hurts. And I figure they talk a lot about back labor. And I took my blanket. I had all my snacks packed. I had the drinks that I liked. They want you to make a labor soup to eat after you give birth that's full of nutrients and things. And so we made our version of labor soup. I took off on Friday, the 7th of July. I've gotten most of my work situated. I had already started delegating everything. My inbox was cleaned out. My husband and I had made a plan on Saturday to go and have, like, a whole day just us. We went shopping. We walked around the mall. We went and ate three meals out. We went home and took a nap in the middle. We got a massage. It was a whole day just about us. It was really sweet, and I'm so glad we took that time for us to get to be together, just us, for one full day. We didn't really have to think about anything else or do anything else. And the nursery was set up. Was really sweet for my husband to plan that. We went and ate, like, spicy Thai food to try and get the ball rolling. We went home and went to bed, and I Woke up at 6am and I was like, that doesn't feel normal. Is this a contraction? That's weird. I wonder if this is labor. I got up at 6 and took a shower, and I was like, I think this might be was early labor. I labored all day at the house. My husband was tracking contractions. They tell you not to so that you're not like, oh, well, why is this one longer? Why is this one shorter? How long are they? My husband was keeping watch so that I didn't really have to think about it. I had been in bed for most of the day. Afternoon, evening, I got up and started moving around. Got on the yoga ball and was trying to get things going more. We actually called the midwife at like 6 or 7 o'clock. She's listening on the phone, My husband's talking to her. This was Elizabeth and she said, we'll meet you at the birth center. And we were like, okay, this is it. I'm laboring, my husband's packing the car. I'm texting my boss, I'm like, this is it. See you in a few months. We get to the birth center, my photographer's there, me, my husband, the midwife and the student. We go in, we're giddy, we're excited, the baby's coming. We hang out there for a couple hours and I can't remember if she checked me a cervical check or not, but she said this wasn't active labor. We'd give it a few more minutes, see if I went into active labor, and if not, then we would go home and try to get some rest. We hung out. It was about 10:00. She sent us home. She would call me in the morning to see how things were going. I was really upset because I didn't want to go home because I knew the baby was coming. We didn't live like right down the street. We were probably 10 or 12 miles down the highway in Dallas and I was like, what if I'm not in labor now? But then I hit active labor at rush hour traffic tomorrow. She's like, everything's going to be fine, just go home. So we go home, we both lay down, tried to sleep. I think I woke up at like midnight and I was moving around the house. I tried to sit on the bar stools in the kitchen. My insides were churning, it felt like. And so I finally woke my husband up and he was like, are you sure this is it? And I'm like, pretty sure. Because I don't know, I've never been through this. We called the midwife back and she said that we could come back. She would meet us there at 2:45. I'm like, I don't even know if I can get in the car. What if I have one of these contractions in the car? And my husband's like, you have to get in the car. We go outside. It's 2:00 in the morning and my mom is sitting at the end of our driveway. We didn't call her after we got Home, which was when we were supposed to be resting. So she freaked out. And she shows up at our house because she was worried about us. I'm in no mood to be talking to her. It's almost 3:00 in the morning. I'm like, get in your car and just follow us there. So her, my husband, me, my photographer, all go back to the birth center. We got there back to the birth center at 2:45 on Monday morning. I'm pretty sure I'm in active labor. My photographer was pretty sure I was in active labor. The midwives agreed with us at that point. So we labored in the bathtub and just around the room the whole time. I guess this is the point where we would have turned on the fun playlist, but I don't think we ever did. We're hanging out, tried to get some rest, labor a little bit, move around. There was somebody else that showed up downstairs and labored while we were there. And I think she had her baby really fast. She was gone. And then two other people during my entire labor showed up and had babies while I was there. It was brutal. My mom has gone and gotten snacks. We've called somebody to come to the house and take care of the dogs. We feel like everything's set and situated. I don't really feel like there's very much progression happening. I'm just laboring and I'm listening to other people have their babies around me. I'm exhausted because we didn't really sleep on Sunday night into Monday. In the afternoon, they call the chiropractor to come to make sure that I'm comfortable, make sure the baby's in the right position. There were several notes about me snoring in my labor chart. So I was sleeping during a chiropractic adjustment. I was exhausted already. They did check me at 3:45 on Monday and I was 7 centimeters dilated, 100% effaced. And that is when they ruptured my membranes. And they told us that if they ruptured our membranes that the baby would come. We were like, hell yeah, let's get this baby out. We're exhausted. This could take 10 hours or it could take 30 minutes. When somebody says 7 centimeters and you're supposed to be at 10, you're like, okay. Breaking our water could get us this last 3cm and we'll be ready to go. She checked again at 8:30 and I had an anterior lip, anterior cervix lip.

[Tiffany Reese]

Means that you're fully dilated, but an edge of your Cervix, usually the anterior or front of the cervix, is a little bit swollen and is still in the way of the baby's head.

[Amanda]

And I was still 100% effaced. Essentially, what they do is they, like, rub their fingers around the inside of your cervix to kind of get it to, like, pop open. She did the finger thing to try and get it to, I guess, flip through several contractions, and that didn't happen.

[Tiffany Reese]

Was it painful when she did it?

[Amanda]

No. And I've heard that it is painful. So I'm not even really sure if she did it right.

[Tiffany Reese]

How are you managing your pain? Were you attempting to do all of that naturally?

[Amanda]

Yes. So I had my TENS unit on my back and on full blast. I was moving around the room, and I do think that that helped a lot to be able to be in different positions and not just stuck laying on your back. They call it the Captain Morgan, where you have one leg lifted, breathing through your contractions and kind of swaying with those contractions. Chris was rubbing his hands up and down my arms, so it was all natural. There was no ibuprofen or anything. I didn't take anything like that. I was exhausted. It got late. So me and my husband laid down in the bed in the birth suite. And there was a woman downstairs laboring, and there was a woman next door laboring. We laid there all night listening to the lady next door have her baby screaming, crying, carrying on. And it was kind of traumatizing, if I'm being completely honest. I don't know if maybe that put me in a situation where my body didn't feel comfortable. Where my body was like, we can't do this here. Like, we don't feel safe here. I didn't sleep very much. I was tossing and turning. My water was broken. We were getting close to 48 hours. Anytime in my chart that there was a mention of meconium, it was written that it was thin meconium. They kept saying it was thin meconium. I don't think it was ever really thin meconium. That can cause infection and distress. They can inhale it, which can cause respiratory infection and other things. It could cause the need for resuscitation. There was a point where it said, and I don't remember having this discussion. It could be true. It could be a lie. I don't know. But they said that they had a discussion with me, that it could be thick behind the baby because his head is on my cervix. It could Just be like dribbling out. And it's not thick yet, but it could be thick higher up in my womb, I guess. It says that they had a discussion with me about antibiotics. I don't recall this discussion. But you're also in labor. La la land. And so it's all kind of a blur.

[Tiffany Reese]

Were they expressing any concern at this point?

[Amanda]

No.

[Tiffany Reese]

And did they have any sort of monitor on the baby?

[Amanda]

No. Nobody was like, we should go now. They were like, this is all pretty normal. Meconium wasn't something that I did a lot of research on because I hadn't really heard of it. It wasn't really something that I felt like I needed to do research on. I didn't really know if we should transfer to the hospital or how serious it was. I trusted my provider would tell me if that was something serious enough that we should move to the hospital. I felt pretty safe. I really trusted them through the whole process. And looking back, I probably shouldn't have. At 3am, my neighbor had her baby. We've listened to her all evening and night into the morning. I actually knew her. She was in my birth class as well. I had severe heartburn, so I was not sleeping. My husband's trying to sleep next to me. He's also listening to this woman next door. It was not conducive to good rest. The midwives are changing out every day at 8am and 8pm so we've had different midwives through this whole thing. They were few and far between. They didn't really spend a whole lot of time in there. I mean, they would come and like spend 30 minutes with you, but then they would be gone for hours. They might come in and check the heart rate or check your temperature. And I think we were anticipating a little more hands on from them. It doesn't go always how you planned, but I thought that I was going to have more support. You know, me and my husband haven't ever done this. We're both going into it blind. And we didn't have the support that we needed from the midwives. They were very condescending to my husband. One of them said, oh, does daddy need a snack and a nap? There were just some situations like that. They tell you to bring your own towels. You should have a towel in the car in case your water breaks in the car and those kinds of things. So we had our own towels. Cause I was in and out of the bathtub and my husband went at one point and tried to put them in the dryer on high heat several times and they never dried. One of the midwives teenage daughters was the cleaning crew for the other birth suite where that woman had her baby in the middle of the night. There's no kind of policy or anything for who needs to clean a birth suite. So you just have anybody. Like, it could be me. I could go clean a birth suite.

[Tiffany Reese]

Seems like there should be some standards for that. Like the same standards as hospitals have. Shouldn't that be the same?

[Amanda]

It should be.

[Markita]

Don't miss Good American Family.

[Amanda]

We have a little girl here for adoption. She has dwarfism.

[Markita]

Starring Ellen Pompeo and Mark Duplass. Something is off.

[Amanda]

She's just a little girl. You think she's faking?

[Markita]

She has adult teeth.

[Tiffany Reese]

There are signs of puberty.

[Markita]

Inspired by the shocking stories that tore a family apart.

[Amanda]

I don't know what's going on.

[Tiffany Reese]

How old are you?

[Amanda]

You should get a lawyer. You have no idea how those people hurt this girl.

[Markita]

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[Amanda]

At 7:30am on Tuesday, they come in, they check. They say I'm 10 centimeters dilated, 100% effaced. We're ready. I think he was a little bit high. So we did a few things on Tuesday morning. We did the breast pump to make sure my contractions were really strong. Red raspberry leaf tea. They gave me some weird tincture. They were trying to get me hydrated. They were trying to feed me, but I'm like beyond that. I'm so exhausted. I just want to get this baby out and take a nap. They put different essential oils in the diffuser to like encourage stronger contractions. And then at 9:46am this is the first time that I've gotten an IV. I've been in labor since Sunday at 6am and on Tuesday at 9:46, they gave me an IV for liquids. Elizabeth was there and her student. And then Ashlyn, the cnm, she was in clinic that day. She was the one that I felt closest to. And she had been in and out during my labor. But Elizabeth, I think, had just come back on Tuesday morning and Ashlyn was in and out between patients. We've pushed and things during this time. But at 10 o'clock on Tuesday morning, Chris asked, this is in my chart when it was gonna be time to go to the hospital. And the midwife said that there was no need for that until mom and baby are showing signs of distress, that we're fine where we are and there's no need to transfer care.

[Tiffany Reese]

And that's in your chart?

[Amanda]

Yes. And he had been talking about it prior to that. I mean, we're exhausted. He's exhausted, I'm exhausted, my mom's exhausted. She's been in and out. She went home for a little bit. I'm sure the midwives are exhausted. So he's like, is there a deadline? Is there like a at this point we should go to the hospital? And she's like, no, everything, you know, is normal. Everybody's heart rate's normal, everybody's good. Nobody needs to go anywhere. We're fine. Tuesday at 10:59, my chart says patient is snoring because I'm exhausted. And they had said the most common reason for transfer is maternal exhaustion. And they still haven't transferred me. I had a discussion about meconium with the cpm, which was Elizabeth midwife discussing with patient the risks of meconium, including MAS and infection.

[Tiffany Reese]

Meconium aspiration syndrome is when a newborn baby breathes in a sticky substance called meconium just before or during birth. It can cause breathing problems and respiratory distress. According to John Hopkins University, Meconium aspiration syndrome, a leading cause of severe illness and death in newborns, occurs in about 5 to 10% of births.

[Amanda]

Discussing with patient the possibility there is thicker MEK behind baby and the possibility of baby needing suction or resuscitation after birth. Midwife advised patient that as long as baby and mother of baby are showing no signs of infection or distress, we can continue with current plan of care to birth at birth center. But if baby or mother or baby decompensate at any time, transfer care of care will be necessary. If thick MEC becomes evident prior to birth, patient and father of baby verbally understand and agree to continue with current plan of care to birth at the birth center. So apparently we had that discussion. They gave me another IV at noon. There's a note in my chart at 2:00 in the afternoon that says, Thin meconium at 2:40. They say we should start pushing. We're doing some pushing exercises. We think the baby's gonna come. I'm exhausted. I can barely push. At 3:15. Ashlyn. The CNM recommends transfer since baby is in the same position that baby was at noon when Ashlyn said, I think now's the time to transfer. My husband snatched up all of our shit. He was fast and furious, putting it in the car, packing up everything. He was ready. I think that him and my mom probably had conversations that I wasn't a part of because I was in labor. La la land. I know that Chris had asked the midwives several times, like, is it time to go? They just never said that it was time. They just kept saying, she's fine. Everything's fine. I think they should have transferred me long before. I was at 10 centimeters at 7:30 that morning. And we didn't transfer until almost 4:00 that afternoon. I can barely get down the stairs. I can barely walk. It was really bad. I was pretty dead to the world. I'm sure my husband thought the worst. I could lose her. I could lose the baby. My mom, I think, was thinking the same thing. Like, this is really scary. I was willing to do whatever the hospital told me I needed to do. Birth plan out the window. I did not care. My husband drives us over to the hospital. We get out. They put me on a wheelchair and wheel me in. We get a room. Really, I feel like shit. When you're in the onset of the flu and you're like, this is it. I'm about to go down. That's how I felt. My body was drained. I was weak. I was dehydrated. She's like, I'm gonna give you Pitocin. I'm gonna give you an iv. I know this isn't what you wanted, but I think you're going to need these things to get the baby out. And I want to avoid C section. My husband's thinking, we're going in for a C section. Because it was so bad. They recommended an epidural with the Pitocin. And hopefully my contractions would come back strong enough to help get the baby out and we would avoid a C section. You hear horror stories about an epidural and, like, the needle, that's so scary. I was like, really, really really not wanting to do the epidural. And I am so glad that I got that epidural. I was ready to party in Vegas once they put that epidural in. I felt amazing. When I got my epidural, they gave me a catheter and I had 700 milliliters of tea colored urine. That's how dehydrated I was. And I had two IVs before we left the birth center. You're not supposed to eat in the hospital. I was like, I'm going to eat because I feel like I can eat. Chris went and got me Chick Fil a. The nurse is like, I'm not supposed to let you eat Chick Fil a. And I was like, okay, well, let me just shovel a couple more nuggets in my mouth. I'm hungry. I haven't eaten anything real for days. So I'm feeling really good at this point. I take a little nap. I guess it was probably about 10 o'clock. The doctor comes in and says it's time to push. And I pushed for about an hour. And then my nurse went home. I loved her. I've looked her up on the Internet to try and find her because I loved her so much. But then her roommate took over in her place. Loved her as well. They were amazing. We pushed for another 30 minutes and the doctor that had taken over was delivering another baby. And the resident was like, okay, I just want you to give me a half push. And I was like, I don't fucking think so. This is a full push. You can't tell me to hold back. I'm not holding back. And I said, you better get ready because this baby's coming out. And we had a baby. I labored 6am Sunday to 11:33pm on Tuesday. I have never felt so relieved in my life to have my baby. We didn't know the gender of the baby and I didn't even really care. I didn't even care. I was so glad that he was out alive and my husband didn't get to cut the cord and we didn't get skin to skin right away, but he was alive and he was healthy and he was 10 pounds. And that's not the case for everyone. There are so many people who have been hurt by these midwives who didn't get to meet their baby or who did meet their baby in terrible, terrible circumstances. And I was just really, really, really thankful in that moment. He never had any kind of fever or infection. He was never jaundice or anything like that. Luckily he did not have to have his lungs vacuumed. He actually hadn't ingested any meconium. But the notes in my hospital chart said that the odor was foul and that it was thick meconium. And I don't think that it was ever thin, if I'm being completely honest. Maybe at the very beginning, but not for long. And I think we should have been transferred much sooner than we were. I had high lactic acid. If your lactic acid is at this point, then you're septic, and I was septic. And we were diagnosed with chorio, which is an infection.

[Tiffany Reese]

So did they start antibiotics right away in the iv?

[Amanda]

Yes, I got antibiotics.

[Tiffany Reese]

Chorioamnionitis is a pregnancy infection that can lead to complications for both mother and baby. Symptoms include fever, fast heart rate, painful uterus, and foul smelling amniotic fluid. It's more likely to occur when your water's broken, which is one of the reasons providers may want you to deliver within 24 hours because the risk of infection is much higher. Chorioamnionitis can cause serious complications for both parent and baby, including postpartum infections, premature birth, neonatal sepsis, and cerebral palsy.

[Amanda]

They were really worried about me, and I didn't realize how sick I was. I think I had 104 fever at 1 point. My heart rate was high. I was tachycardic for a little bit. It was like all hands on deck. They never took me away, they never put me in the icu, but they were monitoring me really hard, and luckily nothing was wrong with the baby. They had somebody come do an EKG on me because my heart rate. They had to come draw blood all night. People come and check on your baby all night and do things with him. They actually kept us downstairs in labor and delivery longer. We really wanted to go home that next day, but they said, no, you should stay. I didn't realize how sick I was. I had the epidural, so I felt a little bit better. But they kept saying, like, you're really sick, like, you need to stay. We need you to be on antibiotics. They were like, okay, well, I'm gonna come check on you in an hour, and if your levels are going down, and then we'll check on you in another hour, and if your levels are still going down, and then once you get to this point, we will let you go home. But if anything, if you get any kind of fever, anything happens, you have to come right back. And we were like, fine, just keep monitoring me for the next few hours. Please start the Paperwork to get us out of here. They said, okay. Everything actually got a lot better fairly quick with all the antibiotics and everything. They did keep monitoring me. By the time it was time to go, I was on the mend. My levels were back to normal. I never had another fever or anything like that. We were really in the clear. I think they would have kept me another night, but I was so ready to not be there. We just wanted to go home. We were there for a full 24 hours. So we got home on Thursday. Origins were supposed to come on Friday because they're supposed to come to your home to check on you and the baby. I had to call them to make the appointment. She was gonna come at noon that day. And that morning, Friday morning, they sent me a message and said she wasn't coming. So I called to reschedule, and they were like, oh, no, we don't need to reschedule. And I was like, what do you mean, we don't need to reschedule? And they were like, well, you had everything in the hospital that you need. And I'm like, actually, I declined everything in the hospital because I've already paid for those services with you. And I never saw anybody for postpartum. Nobody ever called to check on me. A non IBCLC helped me with latching the baby at one week postpartum. I spoke with Caitlyn on the phone, Caitlyn, the owner, to discuss the situation that I was in and how terrible the service was at her birth center and how disappointed I was in the care and the facilities and the way that some of the midwives spoke to us. There were so many things that just could have been better. And she said, you know, I really appreciate this phone call, and we'll do our best to make changes. And we want to make sure you get your herbal bath, because after you have your baby in the birth suite, they fill up the bathtub with a tea that's good for, like, healing and rejuvenating. Then you bring flowers, and they put flowers in the bath. And so you have this really pretty photographic moment of you and your brand new baby in this tea bath that is supposed to be good for everybody. It's a good bonding moment. Dad can get in there with you. It's like this whole thing. And if you go look at their Instagram, the pictures are gorgeous. And everybody wants that, but they're offering that to me. And I told Caitlin, I said, I will never step foot back in that hell house. I won't do it. And she said, well, somebody can come to your house and we'll send somebody that can take pictures. And I'm like, I don't want any. Anybody here. I don't. We're past that. We're past the herbal bath. She offered me an iv. That's not going to fix my sepsis or my dehydration or any of the things that happened. I just want you to do better in the future. Because at this point, I knew how many women in my class had transferred already, and I knew how many people had had their babies at the birth center or in their car. The transfer rate was sky high. And I told her, I said, that's unacceptable. She said, that's a fluke. It was just the odds of your class. That's not a normal number. That was also a lie because I spoke with other people who their classes were that high, if not higher in transfer rate. I really gave her an earful. And I knew that there were women in my class who were maybe younger and probably a lot less confrontational than I am. And I told her that I would be the voice for those women and do whatever it was that I had to do to make sure that those women's voices were heard. And so that's what I did. Markita was in my birth class and leading up to us going into labor, we had been sending messages back and forth. I knew that she had been in labor and had her baby, but I didn't know what had happened. Nobody would tell me what had happened. I had reached out and told her that she did not have to reach back out to me, but I was here for her. I knew that I had had a traumatic experience, so maybe she had as well, but I didn't know the extent of what had happened.

[Tiffany Reese]

Next time on Something was Wrong.

[Amanda]

I actually came to Origins in the middle of my pregnancy. I was 20 weeks pregnant. Towards the end, I was seeing Jennifer more. I was very healthy. My son was very healthy. There was no issues. I didn't even have morning sickness. There weren't really any red flags until I went into labor and went to Origins. It wasn't until things went abnormal is whenever they had no clue of what to do. Kristen created a survivors group on Facebook that has reached 40 plus women now that have all had traumatic births with Origins.

[Tiffany Reese]

I started forming this group called Survivors of Origins, Birth and Wellness. It was a little quiet at first.

[Amanda]

Nobody was really saying their stories or anything.

[Tiffany Reese]

But then we started getting multiple requests to join the group a day. Eventually, Markita responded to me and she joined the group and then I posted my story in the group and then she posted hers and then other people started to post theirs, talking about all kinds of different things happening in pregnancy, failures to address abnormalities and concerns, and near misses. Something Was Wrong is a broken cycle Media Production created and produced by Executive Producer Tiffany Reese, Associate producers Amy B. Chesler and Lily Rowe, with audio editing and music design by Becca High. Thank you to our extended team, Lauren Barkman, our social Media Marketing Manager and Sarah Stewart, our graphic artist. Thank you to Marissa Travis and our team at wme, Wondry, Jason and Jennifer, our cybersecurity team, Darkbox Security and my lawyer Alan. Thank you endlessly to every survivor who has ever trusted us with their stories and thank you each and every listener for making our show possible with your support and listenership. Special Shout out to Emily Wolf for covering gladrag's original song you Think youk for us this season. For more music by Emily Wolf, check out the Episode Notes or your favorite music streaming app. Speaking of Episode Notes, there every week you'll find episode specific content, warnings, sources and resources. Until next time, stay safe friends. If you like something was wrong, you can listen early and ad free right now by joining Wondery in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey.

[Markita]

Are you captivated by the dark and mysterious world of true crime? Wondery offers you the ultimate true crime experience with early access to new episodes, exclusive content and a seamless ad free listening journey with Wondery. Plus, you'll get access to hundreds of podcasts, including more than 50 true crimes series like Dr. Death, the shocking true story of a trusted surgeon who brought unimaginable pain and suffering to his patients. This was not an operation that was performed.

[Amanda]

This was attempted murder.

[Markita]

And there's Morbid, the hit podcast that's a lighthearted nightmare. With Wandery, you get access to exclusive bonus content too, allowing you to dive deeper into the cases you love. Like in Suspect, where an ordinary Halloween party turned into a terrifying murder mystery and left its mark on the community.

[Amanda]

This case is one of those rollercoaster.

[Markita]

Rides where it's like, no, he did it for sure.

[Amanda]

No, he for sure he did it.

[Markita]

Each story is crafted to keep you enthralled, revealing the complexities and motivations behind every crime. Subscribe to Wondery on the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify today. Unlock the door to a world of true crime like Never before. With Wondery, the best true crime stories are always at your fingertips.