A US woman has revealed what she was thinking the moment she was made to attend a court hearing while she was in active labour due to refusing to undergo a c-section to deliver her fourth child.
Cherise Doyley had arrived at the University of Florida Health Hospital in September 2024, and was ready to become a mother to a newborn again.
However, what should have been a calm and patient-led environment, soon turned into a criminal case after the former professional birthing doula, informed medical staff that she wanted to go through with a vaginal birth instead.
At the time, Doyley was told about her risk of experiencing a uterine rupture, which is when the uterine wall tears, causing a life-threatening situation for both mum and baby.
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According to Patient, it is characterised as a ‘tear of all three layers of the uterus’ that then allows the baby to enter the abdominal cavity, causing severe abdominal pain, bleeding, and fetal distress.
While rare, the rupture typically occurs along previous c-section scars, which is why people who go through a c-section, are recommended to continue to have c-sections in later deliveries.
For Doyley, when she had been in labour for 12 hours, a nurse wheeled in a tablet, which was loaded up to show a Zoom court hearing, per ABC News.
There, she had to attend the hearing from her bed.
“That was exactly when I found out that we were going to court,” she said. “I was so afraid. I was confused. I did not know what was going on or what to expect.”
As for why she had refused a c-section, the mum revealed it had been challenging to recover from, which is why she opted for a vaginal birth, despite potential risks involved.
However, ProPublica reported that Doyley didn’t have legal representation during her attendance and had apparently asked for a lawyer or a patient advocate, reported ABC News.
Led by Judge Michael Kalil, Doyley was told that the state of Florida had filed an emergency petition at the hospital's request, per People.
This is because they allegedly had fears for her unborn child. But the mother said she didn’t feel like her own safety was considered.
In the end, the judge ruled that the hospital could perform the surgery without her consent if presented with an emergency – which ultimately occurred and led to the c-section delivery of baby Arewa.
LADbible reached out to the University of Florida Health Hospital for comment.
Britt Jones