Morbidly Obese mother files complaint

fbmandy55

So here locally, a morbidly obese mother to be has filed a complaint with a hospital after a doctor told her that at her weight, 353lbs, she would need to deliver in hospital in Indianapolis. She also contacted the news stating that they were discriminating against her because of her weight. The doctor told her it was policy of the hospital, which it isn't, but the hospital he asked her to deliver in has better neonatal care.

http://www.wlfi.com/dpp/news/local/woman-says-doctor-lied-about-hospital-policy

In my opinion, the doctor obviously doesn't feel comfortable with the situation or doesn't want to be liable if there is a delivery problem. The fact is, a morbidly obsese mother is 3 times more likely to have a stillbirth, has greater C-section complications at risk and just the problems she is setting her child up for are disturbing: not enough nutrients, risk of asthma and more likely to face childhood obesity.

The mother told me that she had no health problems..... Ok, I was once in denial about how healthy I was at 260lbs, let alone 353lbs. There comes a time when you need to stop kidding yourself and realize that 353lbs in NOT healthy. Sadly, she will probably make some money off of this issue.

What do you think? Was the doctor wrong for saying it was hospital policy? Does this mother have the right to be mad or is she being a drama queen?

ArroganceInStep

I don't think it's discrimination and I think the doctor made the right call.

By the same token I'm sure the woman was just embarrassed, basically she's being told that not only does she have to live with the problems tied to her size, but now her future child is being affected by it too. That's a hard pill to swallow, even if it's true.

BondBomb

If a doctor or hospital was not equipped to treat me the last thing I would do is complain. I would find a hospital that could give me and my baby the best care. Her weight has created a complication. Doctors take an oath to do no harm. What more can you ask for than a doctor that is honest enough to assess your situation and say 'I am not qualified. But here are people that are.'?

Yanicka1

If a doctor or hospital was not equipped to treat me the last thing I would do is complain. I would find a hospital that could give me and my baby the best care. Her weight has created a complication. Doctors take an oath to do no harm. What more can you ask for than a doctor that is honest enough to assess your situation and say 'I am not qualified. But here are people that are.'?

This

IamOnMywayNow

If a doctor or hospital was not equipped to treat me the last thing I would do is complain. I would find a hospital that could give me and my baby the best care. Her weight has created a complication. Doctors take an oath to do no harm. What more can you ask for than a doctor that is honest enough to assess your situation and say 'I am not qualified. But here are people that are.'?

^^This!

Micahroni84

I think the doctor was totally reasonable. Any woman who is a high risk delivery needs to be sent to a hospital with a better neonatal center. They do that for non obese women too. The last thing you want is to waste precious minutes with a struggling baby, transporting them from point A to point B. My nephew barely made it to a hospital an hour and half away. They had to drive by ambulance, get on the ferry and then keep going by ambulance. She shouldn't be complaining, she should be thankful her doctor wants to be prepared.

MaraDiaz

If that really is the reason she will have to deliver in another hospital, she should say thank you, not I'm suing!

But is it the real reason?

jessimacar

A little bit of both? I believe the doctor gave her the best options given the situation. She would have better chances of delivering successfully and have better care if something awful were to happen? Where's the problem? The only thing I can see that the doctor should have reconsidered was falsely claiming it was hospital policy. Why not just explain to her that they don't have adequate facilities to handle the situation. It's not his fault she is obese, nor should the hospital be liable for it. That being said, I'm sure if she were brought to the hospital by ambulance in the middle of labour, she wouldn't be turned away..

My0WNinspiration

That's ridonkulous! Alot of hospitals aren't equipped to treat morbidly obese people. She just wants to play the FAT CARD and possibly make some money while she's at it. You're fat. Accept it or do something about it. Quit boo-hoo'ing.

Denise1224

If a doctor or hospital was not equipped to treat me the last thing I would do is complain. I would find a hospital that could give me and my baby the best care. Her weight has created a complication. Doctors take an oath to do no harm. What more can you ask for than a doctor that is honest enough to assess your situation and say 'I am not qualified. But here are people that are.'?

^ This adding in that the doctor should have been honest with her and told her he and the hospital are not equipped to take care of her special circumstance... he lied and for that I do think she has a right to be mad no one likes to be lied to.

UsedToBeHusky

The doctor shouldn't have lied about it being hospital policy. That is the only place that he set himself up for liability. He was perfectly within his right to say that he didn't feel comfortable delivering this baby given the potential risks, and refer her to a doctor with the skills and experience to deliver the child.

No idea how this will play out in court, but the doctor is really only liable to the hospital, and that's only if the patient sues the hospital and wins.

On another token, I delivered a child while obese, and had a perfectly healthy child. I don't really think the statistics of obesity-related still-births and birth defects are nearly available, as compared to smoking during pregnancy, so I don't really think it is fair to say that she is setting her child up for any long-term problems. I would like to think that the doctor would not have made this judgment call unless he was aware that fetus' health was already somehow compromised, but since medical records are confidential, we may never know if that is the case.

*edited to add - And I'm not seeking ridicule here, but just to point out that studies don't always accurately predict the possibilities, but I was obese AND smoking while pregnant, and I still had a healthy child.

fbmandy55

She also stated that she delivered 4 years ago when she was heavier and that her sister delivered at over 350 pounds as well.

My first thought is how can these women be so fertile being150-200lbs overweight? Also that they are pushing the fat acceptance and claiming discriminiation. They don't act embarrassed but more proud of their weigtht .

I am still obese and I have no plan to get pregnant until I am healthier and think it's sad the this lady is placing the blame of HER problems on the doctors. I am sure it will end in a lawsuit and the doctor having to settle with her. I don't know why he lied but if it were me, I think that may have been the easiest way to tell her. When I have to give someone an answer they won't like at work I always say "it's board policy", knowing that they will back me up on my decisions.

I just can't get over the woman telling me she was healthy at 353lbs....

Vailara

IF the information in the article is true, then yes, it sounds like the doctor was wrong to lie to her, and she is right to complain about the lie. She says she would have gone along with the decision to move hospitals if she had been told it was in her interests or her baby's interests. She objected because she apparently was told that the reason was hospital policy and she knew that wasn't the case, having delivered in the same hospital when she was heavier and had health complications. I do think that if the doctor thought there was a risk that could be managed much better at the other hospital she could have explained that to her.

BeingAwesome247

Well, the doctor screwed up by saying it was HOSPITAL policy when it doesn't seem to be. I doubt it was to be malicious though.
I have to agree with what Bondbomb said:

If a doctor or hospital was not equipped to treat me the last thing I would do is complain. I would find a hospital that could give me and my baby the best care. Her weight has created a complication. Doctors take an oath to do no harm. What more can you ask for than a doctor that is honest enough to assess your situation and say 'I am not qualified. But here are people that are.'?

I did read the article and I find it humorous that she described herself as "bigger" ....Americans in general have become very delusional in regards to weight. 353lbs is more than just "bigger". An adult panda usually weighs about 350lbs; female polar bears (on the low side) weigh 350lbs, a baby cow (depending on breed) can weigh 350lbs by the end of their first year....just ot put some things into perspective.

MG_Fit

If a doctor or hospital was not equipped to treat me the last thing I would do is complain. I would find a hospital that could give me and my baby the best care. Her weight has created a complication. Doctors take an oath to do no harm. What more can you ask for than a doctor that is honest enough to assess your situation and say 'I am not qualified. But here are people that are.'?

^Yup

fbmandy55

An adult panda usually weighs about 350lbs; female polar bears (on the low side) weigh 350lbs, a baby cow (depending on breed) can weigh 350lbs by the end of their first year....just ot put some things into perspective.

That is good perspective...

yiffanarff

I don't think the doctor was unreasonable at all in this case. To me, it seems quite reasonable that the doctor was not even 'lying' about the policy. Maybe there is no policy that morbidly obese women are sent to another hospital to deliver, but perhaps it is a policy (or an unwritten convention), to recommend a bigger hospital for high-risk births. I don't know the whole situation, but I don't see anything shady about the doctors actions.

Edit: I now read the whole article, and she does claim she was told it was due to her being over 350 pounds. But again, it could be that at this weight, it officially becomes a high-risk birth. Perhaps the mother was offended, so all she heard was "this hospital has a policy that fat ladies deliver elsewhere", when that wasn't what actually what the doctor was saying. And again, perhaps the policy is not written down, but it could be that all the doctors who work there recommended the hospital with greater resources in risky situations all the time. I highly doubt the doctor was trying to be dishonest or malicious.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

When I was pregnant I went through 3 different practices. While each one was associated with a specific hospital, the were not owned or operated by the hospital, just associated with the hospital. When the doctor said it is our policy to refer patients to a better equipped hospital for high risk situations she could have been talking about their practice, not the hospital. Wording is very important. There are factors in a pregnancy that increase the risks associated for both baby and mom: age of mother, weight of mother, previously diagnosed health issues of the mother, and orientation of the baby in the womb are the first that come to mind. Referring a patient to a hospital equipped for high risk situations when they have high risk indicators isn't discrimination, it's prudent. Then there's the added consideration of medical liability insurance, you don't know what that practice's liability insurance looks like, I don't know enough about medical liability insurance to know how specific they write the policies. Also, it doesn't sound to me like they are discriminating against her as they told her sister the same thing. Yes, they allowed her to deliver 4 years ealier at a younger age and a higher weight, but it's very normal for situations to change in that period of time. Quite frankly, if it were me, I'd be upset that I had to go through the added expense and hastle of going further from home to deliver my child, but I'd also be relieved that the doctor was referring me to (in their opinion) the safer option. Yes, her sister didn't have the best experience at the other hospital, but it doesn't say why . . . there are a lot of things that can impact why you do or do not have the best experience including delivery complications.

perfectingpatti

I think he has the right to refuse to treat her. However, he shouldn't have lied about it being hospital policy.

cubbies77

At my highest weight, 357, I was healthy. Granted, I was too heavy, but my numbers were just fine. My blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol, blood sugar, thyroid, triglycerides, etc were all within normal levels. No diabetes. No high blood pressure. None of the issues many obese people have. Doctors were usually pretty shocked.

My point is, you can't assume she isn't healthy just because of her weight. If she's speaking in terms of bloodwork alone, she may be right. On paper, I was perfectly healthy (if you ignored my BMI). Still am. I've lost 54 pounds, and I'm sure my numbers are about the same or better. Am I a healthy weight? Heck no. Am I healthy, generally? Yes.

I don't think it's right that he lied to her. He should have explained her options. He took the chicken way out of it, and that's wrong.

Umeboshi

Sizeist discrimination pure and simple.