‘Absolutely horrendous’: woman left incontinent after giving birth blames Mackay Base hospital failures

Three years ago, Samantha Sheppard checked into Mackay Base hospital to have her first child. What followed, she said, was an ordeal she believes could have killed her baby, Bobby, and that has left her unable to control some of her basic bodily functions.

"It was absolutely horrendous. It was so life changing. I live with a pad on every day. I weigh myself every day. I've actually peed myself countless times because I can't control it," she said.

"Everyone asks when are you having another baby? And I think, I don't even want to have another baby."

Sheppard is considering joining a growing number of women in a class action lawsuit against the hospital after a state inquiry found "systemic failures" within the hospital's obstetrics and gynaecology unit.

Sheppard was set to have an induced labour at the hospital after a glucose test confirmed she had gestational diabetes, which can potentially complicate childbirth.

She said she had to insist "multiple times" that her tests be reanalysed after receiving a "borderline" diagnosis that was never explained or elaborated on.

After arriving at the hospital she felt belittled when she attempted to warn the hospital that something was "not quite right".

She says after failing to dilate for several hours, she "begged" for a C-section, which the hospital refused.

Staff opted instead to give her an epidural and attempted to use a suction cup to pull her baby out, a scenario Sheppard says will for ever be engraved in her mind.

"They grabbed me by my legs and dragged me down the bed while I had the epidural in my back. The baby's nose kept getting stuck on my pelvic bone because he was face up instead of face down. They decided to give me an episiotomy and put the suction cup on my baby's head.

"[The doctor] was pulling back on it, at that point she was shaking from how hard she was pulling and after six hard pulls the suction cup let go, causing her to stumble backwards."

Sheppard says the hospital staff were eventually able to deliver the baby using forceps, which were placed over Bobby's left eye, giving him Bell's palsy that would take months to heal.

She says the suction also resulted in a tear down Bobby's head and spine that resulted in bleeding so severe it required them to be airlifted to Townsville for further treatment.

Sheppard recalls the swelling being so heavy that by the time they had arrived at Townsville hospital, doctors thought the small, 2kg Bobby, was actually a big "10 pound baby".

While Bobby was able to make a full recovery, Sheppard would be left with a no pelvic floor muscle as well as bladder and rectal prolapses.

A spokesperson for the Mackay Base hospital said they had been in "touch with the patient" and said they were working "on ensuring every patient feels safe and respected when they receive care". The hospital said they were not allowed to comment on individual cases.

The state inquiry into the hospital has highlighted failures to keep patients safe and made 122 recommendations, of which "47 are already implemented, 37 are agreed to be implemented, and 38 are agreed in principle to be implemented" according to the hospital.

"Patients who were physically and psychologically injured as a result of the hospital's negligence deserve compensation for medical expenses, loss of income, and pain and suffering," said special counsel Sarah Vallance from Shine Lawyers, who are acting for the victims.

"The amount of compensation they receive should not be decided through a mysterious extrajudicial process in which Queensland Health has all the control and bargaining power.

"For the Mackay community to regain trust in their health service, it's imperative the compensation pathway is transparent and affords due process to the women involved."