Rostov women describe maternity hospitals: from nightmare to ideal

In January, a tragedy occurred in a maternity hospital in Novokuznetsk: nine newborns died, and eight more were in serious condition due to an intrauterine infection. The official investigation pointed to unsanitary conditions and staff negligence. Charges of causing death by negligence have been brought against the medical institution«s management.

Against the backdrop of this case, the editorial board asked readers about problems in the maternity hospitals of Rostov-on-Don. Local women shared their stories.

One woman described her childbirth at Maternity Hospital No. 5 as a nightmare: «My memories of the maternity hospital are like a bad dream. Labor starts, I go looking for someone from the medical staff on the second floor, I find them, and they say to me: »Couldn«t you have waited a bit longer? You came and woke us up. Alright, let»s go with her to the third floor,« and there the doctors say, »You woke us up.« Basically, it was a disaster. I ended up being the guilty one for not letting everyone sleep.»

Another woman giving birth encountered drunkenness among the medical staff at the same institution: «Yes, I also gave birth there. A long time ago, though. It was a Saturday, the medical staff was drunk, my doctor, with whom I had arranged for a paid delivery beforehand, hadn»t arrived yet. So those who were there gave me, in their words, vitamins, and the contractions stopped. We barely survived; they squeezed my daughter out, she was born blue, didn«t make a sound—they took her away. And a woman in the corridor found me; she said later that I wasn»t breathing.«

She added: «I gave them hell there, promised to call the police. I came to my senses on the third day; my daughter took a long time to recover. The doctor just returned the money for the delivery, though they all should be jailed. Back then, I could barely think straight. She»s my first and last child; I endured so much horror there that I didn«t even think about other children.»

Some families avoid state maternity hospitals due to poor reviews. One man said: «My wife and I didn»t dare go to a state maternity hospital—according to reviews, there«s widespread indifference, humiliation, and risks to the health of the mother and baby. But even in the only private one, not everything went smoothly—they overlooked one aspect of the mother»s health, after which the recovery was difficult. And in winter, there was a cold draft from the windows in their individual, beautiful room.«

In contrast, the perinatal center received high marks. One woman said: «The perinatal center—everything is perfect. The food is tasty, it»s clean, quiet. Absolutely everyone has a very good attitude.« Another noted: »The perinatal center. Ideal. The food is not tasty.«

Positive experience is also associated with other institutions. «Everything was fine for me, I gave birth to two children at the Central City Hospital. It was a long time ago, but the memories are good,» shared a Rostov woman.

Maternity Hospital No. 20 of the Rostov City Hospital, despite its old building, is valued for the doctors« professionalism. »I gave birth to both my children at Maternity Hospital No. 20 of the Rostov City Hospital. Yes, the maternity hospital is old, yes, it«s inconvenient, but I went there only for the doctors, knowing that in an emergency, every effort would be made for a favorable outcome. The first time I ended up there as an emergency during COVID—they saved both me and the child. The second time I went there consciously, and for the third, I will definitely go there! The doctors there are all pros!»

The Children«s Perinatal Center also received praise: »My wife gave birth at the Children«s Perinatal Center. It»s beyond all praise.«

However, not all impressions are positive. In the NIIAP (Scientific Research Institute of Obstetrics and Pediatrics) in 2020, a woman faced rudeness and inattention: «NIIAP, 2020. The head nurse in the pre-delivery room gave me a scolding because my passport was allegedly not fresh, »which she washed her hands of 10 times,« I burst into tears (nerves, injustice, I was about to be taken for a C-section), my doctor came and also yelled at me, saying I was crying because my nose would get blocked and the operation would be canceled altogether. Then, after the birth, they brought me the baby immediately (!), muttered something about free swaddling (no one showed or explained anything) and left me alone with the baby three hours after »slitting my stomach open.« Also, I couldn»t start breastfeeding him on my own, they said there was no breastfeeding specialist, so here«s some formula for you, and you owe us 5 liters of clean water. My husband brought it, but there was no one to take it to the department, so I dragged it along the wall myself. They also gave me a torn nightgown, and ants were running around the room with the baby.»