A Whitby woman says she had to go through the birth of her son last week without a constant epidural supply during labor, even though the Ministry of Health says there is no shortage of catheters in Ontario.
“It was extremely painful, like excruciating pain, and at that point I was almost begging for a c-section [to be prescribed more to regulate the pain]Triana Burford told CTV News Toronto.
In her medical record, available on her phone, notes from the prescriber indicated that a “lack of epidural catheters” prevented her from receiving more than one dose against a continuous supply to manage her pain.
The suggested dose also didn’t last as long as intended, she said, lasting 40 minutes instead of four hours.
In total, her induced labor lasted five hours, with nearly an hour after the epidural wore off, she said.
“CARING FOR ALL OUR PATIENTS”
The chair of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Section of the Ontario Medical Association Section says the shortage is in Ontario.
“This is a problem for all of our patients because it’s not the GTA that has a catheter shortage, it’s the entire province,” said Dr. Constance Nasello.
Hospital networks have reported shortages or limited supply in recent days, but a spokesperson for the minister of health told CTV News on Tuesday that overall the province is in a good position compared to others in western Canada.
“Ontario currently has an adequate supply of epidural catheters and women have access to epidurals for childbirth,” Bill Campbell said in an emailed statement.
To ensure equitable access, “hospitals will receive instructions on how to assess and report current inventory in the coming days,” he added.
Burford says that if there hadn’t been a shortage of epidural catheters, she wouldn’t have experienced such unwanted labor pain.
“I would say the ministry is lying,” she said.
The Whitby woman has been pregnant three times. Last year she lost twin girls who were stillborn. She said she had an epidural during her first pregnancy, but opted out for the twins.
At the Lakeridge Health Center in Ajax last week, she said she wanted a different experience from start to finish.
“This time I knew I wanted to [an epidural]because I didn’t want to feel that pain again,” she said.
Her son Cruz was born happy and healthy. His middle name is Cairo—in honor of one of his deceased older brothers, lost almost a year before the day.
Add Comment