Another home birth gone bad
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'My wife would still be here': Families demand action against midwife
An Arizona midwife who oversaw a home birth in December where the mother and infant both died met with state health officials Wednesday. Arizona's Department of Health Services issued the midwife, Sarah Kankiewicz, a notice of intent to revoke her license back in March and Wednesday's meeting was a settlement conference to discuss her license.
But as ADHS faces criticism for a lack of transparency, a spokesperson declined to provide information about Wednesday's meeting and the future of Kankiewicz's license.
"We do not have someone available for an interview at this time. We are in talks with the licensee, Sarah Kankiewicz, about potential settlement terms," a spokesperson said in an email.
12News has talked to multiple women who worked with Kankiewicz. One woman's baby died. Another woman's baby was stillborn and had to be resuscitated in a hospital.
Complaints date back to 2020
In 2020, Heather Flowers opted for a home birth. She had had a hospital birth with her first daughter and wanted more control over the process.
She decided to work with Kankiewicz as her midwife. Kankiewicz became a licensed midwife in Arizona in early 2020, months before Flowers went into labor.
Flowers' baby was 11 pounds. She had an extreme laceration. As she was tearing, records show the midwife did not check her vitals enough, did not follow the required emergency plan, and downplayed her laceration.
Flowers' birth was botched and she still deals with the physical effects today. She considers herself and her baby lucky to be alive.
“I trusted her. She's supposed to be the professional, and it just wasn't the case," Flowers said.
Flowers filed a complaint against Kankiewicz with ADHS. The investigation found multiple citations.
Her complaint was the first but not the last.
More citations before Jordan Terry's death
Kankiewicz received multiple civil penalties for failing to submit required paperwork for more than a dozen patients.
ADHS gave her huge financial breaks on those penalties.
Still, another complaint resulting in citations came in 2023.
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I know nothing about midwives or home births, so without hopefully sounding too ignorant... why wouldn't anyone want a hospital birth given all the modern medical solutions available, combined with all of the possible complications that could happen during birth? I think about the world a few hundred years ago (or even at the start of the 20th century) and how many women (and children) would die during childbirth.
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I know nothing about midwives or home births, so without hopefully sounding too ignorant... why wouldn't anyone want a hospital birth given all the modern medical solutions available, combined with all of the possible complications that could happen during birth? I think about the world a few hundred years ago (or even at the start of the 20th century) and how many women (and children) would die during childbirth.
@89th said in Another home birth gone bad:
why wouldn't anyone want a hospital birth given all the modern medical solutions available, combined with all of the possible complications that could happen during birth?
Because they're stupid? Because they want to have a "non-clinical" atmosphere. Because they think they can squeeze out an 11 lb baby with no problems?
There's a reason OBs pay among the highest malpractice premiums in medicine. And the reason isn't surgical complications.
Meet Sarah...
https://voyagephoenix.com/interview/meet-sarah-kankiewicz-of-firefly-birth-services/
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I know nothing about midwives or home births, so without hopefully sounding too ignorant... why wouldn't anyone want a hospital birth given all the modern medical solutions available, combined with all of the possible complications that could happen during birth? I think about the world a few hundred years ago (or even at the start of the 20th century) and how many women (and children) would die during childbirth.
@89th said in Another home birth gone bad:
I know nothing about midwives or home births, so without hopefully sounding too ignorant... why wouldn't anyone want a hospital birth given all the modern medical solutions available, combined with all of the possible complications that could happen during birth? I think about the world a few hundred years ago (or even at the start of the 20th century) and how many women (and children) would die during childbirth.
To know how far we've come, just look at old genealogy records and walk through some old graveyards. Not unusual for a moderately successful man (I'm not talking rich) to be married twice or even three times...Not because of divorce, but because his wife died, many times from "childbed fever" or from "female problems".
Also, notice all the child deaths. IIRC, if a couple had five children in 1800, chances were pretty good only three children would become adults.
