Support Yulicia during this Challenging time

Hello and thank you for taking the time to read the following. My name is Margge and I am a mother of a 27-year-old who has recently become a mom. My daughter’s name is Yulicia. This should have been the most exciting time for both her and her boyfriend as new parents and me as an excited grandma. However, it has been quite challenging to say the least due to what we believe could have been prevented with timely and thorough medical attention. I thought it would be helpful to create a GoFundMe page to raise awareness to new moms who have had a c-section and their partners. I also felt GoFundMe could provide some support to Yulicia and her young family with all the financial burdens that have resulted from her unexpected medical situation. After a thorough conversation with Yulicia and her consent to share her experience, we made a well thought out decision to move forward.

Yulicia was scheduled to be induced on April 5, 2025, at Grey Nuns Hospital. She arrived at the hospital at 8:30am. Unfortunately, the induction was unsuccessful. On April 6, 2025, during the 7:30am to 3:30pm shift, the nurse assigned, indicated that Yulicia had dilated to 5 cm and at this point Yulicia requested an epidural. An anesthesiologist made a couple of attempts until the epidural was administered successfully. Yulicia was administered a total of 40mg of Pitocin. Yulicia developed a fever, and her stomach was hot as well. The nurse applied cold compressions and later Tylenol was provided. The nurse indicated that she was progressing and just before 12pm indicated she was 9 cm. The nurse even asked her to start pushing. This news gave us hope that the baby would be arriving soon. At this point, Yulicia had been in labour for about 30 hours. The doctor arrived around 3:30pm and explained that he had to perform an emergency c-section as she had stopped dilating at 7am and was only 7cm. This was not at all what the day shift nurse had indicated. Although the doctor made the decision around 3:30pm that an emergency c-section was required, Yulicia was not taken right away. My grandson was born at 5:03pm. Three days later, Yulicia was discharged with her healthy baby boy.

A few days after being discharged from the hospital, Yulicia developed severe abdominal pain and fever. She was taken to the ER at Grey Nuns Hospital twice and there; she would be transferred to Labour and Delivery where she was treated with Tylenol and discharged. They seemed to neglect to check for signs of infection (fever, tenderness, redness, foul smell from incision, bloodwork etc). Yulicia’s condition did not improve so she also attended walk-in clinics to see if they could assist. Tylenol seemed to be the go-to solution.

On April 20, 2025, I checked her incision and noticed that it was red, extremely hot to the touch and had yellowish pus. I advised that she needed to get ready and go to the hospital. She called a Health line and was instructed to go to the nearest hospital which is Leduc Hospital. However, they did not have a surgeon at that time, so we had to attend Grey Nuns Hospital instead. We worried they would dismiss her symptoms and concerns like in the past, but attended anyway as we did not have an alternative.

Luckily, this time, the staff saw the severity of the situation. They kept her on the postpartum floor for three days, giving her Tylenol because she had a nonstop fever of 41 °c. They did all sorts of tests, including an ultrasound, a CT scan, and bloodwork. On April 23, 2025, three days after arriving, her OB told Yulicia that she needed surgery as her situation was not looking good. With a straight face he looked at me and said this is a life-or-death situation due to the severity of the infection she had developed. The information regarding the need for surgery was shared in the early afternoon, but the surgery kept being delayed due to other surgeries that were prioritized and surgeon availability. The waiting was agonizing for me as the doctor said my daughter could die. Yulicia was understandably broken and scared of the possibility that she could leave her newborn baby so soon. The surgery finally took place at 8pm and she was not out of the OR until 2am. It was not until Yulicia was in surgery that the surgeon realized that the infection had travelled to her bowel. She had to have two incisions and required a blood transfusion due to excessive blood loss. Yulicia was told she would return to the postpartum floor so she could easily have visits with her baby. Once again, misinformation was provided. Yulicia was placed on the fourth floor instead. We rushed to see her after surgery only to be told by the nurse that we had to leave because the baby could not be there. After such a traumatic experience, my daughter just wanted to see her baby and family. The nurse at this time did not seem to take any of that into consideration. I filed a complaint and met with about 5 healthcare staff to discuss the negative experiences at the hospital, our concerns and misinformation provided. A social worker was assigned, and she was extremely helpful and supportive. The labour and delivery staff were also very supportive and perhaps Yulicia’s stay would have been better had she been admitted to the floor after her surgery. Yulicia remained at the hospital from April 20, 2025, until May 1, 2025. She was connected to IV, Vacuum- Assisted Closure Device (V.A.C) for her open incisions and visited regularly by a wound care team. At home, she continues to be connected to a V.A.C. machine and has home care nurses attending her home three times per week as well as mobility aids to assist her around the home and self-care. My grandson’s father and I take shifts and have been assisting around our work schedules. There are no other family members in the area to provide support.

To share this horrific experience with the public was not a decision that was taken lightly. We know some people would prefer not to share and some might not even agree with us sharing it. However, we want to bring awareness to new moms about the signs of infection after a c-section and the importance of being persistent with medical staff. Do not let them dismiss your symptoms and make you believe you are okay when you know your body best. I strongly feel that if my daughter’s symptoms had been taken more seriously, medical professionals would have done the tests required to diagnose and treat the infection early. A life-threatening infection, dangerous surgery, painful recovery and trauma could have been avoided. Furthermore, I believe it is important to ask for help when needed. If you can provide any financial help, be assured that it will go directly to Yulicia to assist her in this challenging time. If you cannot, you can still help by passing on the message and information to anyone you think would benefit from the lessons learned from her experience.

Thank you