Pregnancy, Childbirth Problems: Maimed Mom Awarded $50M After Doctor's Error

An award of $50 million was given to a mother who was injured maimed by her obstetrician Michael Ihemaguba. Llaulin Cruz, who gave birth at St. Barnabas Hospital in 2009, did not know that her body had been damaged permanently until after her second pregnancy.

The New York Daily News reports that the childbirth Llaulin Cruz went through in 2009 turned into a nightmare because of obstetrician Michael Ihemaguba's mistake. Llaulin Cruz obtained tissue lacerations during childbirth and was given an unnecessary episiotomy that never properly healed.

The childbirth process, which should have been normal for all intents and purposes, caused damage to the mother's digestive system as well. Llaulin Cruz did not know that her body was injured severely during childbirth.

The Bronx mother only knew she had strange discharges after childbirth. When Cruz became pregnant with her son after a year, the mother was attended by a midwife.

Fertility is not just a 'woman thing', it's also a 'couple thing', we need to inform men about fertility too #fertilitysummit

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At that point, neither Cruz nor the midwife were aware of the already extensive tissue injuries inside the mother's body. The midwife, Gloria Murray, helped Llaulin Cruz deliver her son vaginally. This extended the already massive damages inside Cruz's body.

None of the several consultations and surgeries could correct Llaulin Cruz's condition. The Bronx mother was eventually forced to quit her job as a consequence.

Today Llaulin Cruz can no longer be too far from the bathroom and is rarely far from her house. Besides the incontinence, Llaulin Cruz is unable to have sex with her husband because of the unbearable pain she experiences.

Thorough and expert care for a mother and her baby during pregnancy and childbirth are essential, to say the least. Support from both family and medical experts are critical in this period to assure safety and quality of life. Public Source, however, reports that a very real crisis taking place among prenatal and childbirth care centers in the US.

In Pennsylvania alone, 28 obstetric units were lost between the period of 2004 and 2014 because of financial factors. Unless this is addressed, overburdened centers and doctors may unwittingly create more pregnancy and childbirth cases as that of Llaulin Cruz.