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Woman Says KHMH Left Her In A Bad Way
posted (January 13, 2015)
Tonight a young mother is accusing the KHMH of negligence after she delivered her first baby at the hospital in December and then found that cotton swabs had been left inside her.

The first time mom explained that weeks after delivering her baby, she detected a foul odor coming from her body and suddenly became ill.

Now, this story is not pleasant stuff, and If you're squeamish, you might want to take a five minute break. But while it may be cringe-inducing, her complaint is real, Monica Bodden found out more:...

Monica Bodden reporting
Today marks exactly one month since 18 year old Lucia Martinez delivered a healthy baby girl at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.

The first time mom took home her newborn baby 3 days after delivery.

Lucia Martinez - Accuses KHMH of neglect
"Like when I go to bathe, wipe my skin, I wanted to know how I smell like a dead rat. You should not smell like that after you have a child."

That is because swabs were left inside Martinez after giving birth at the KHMH.

A swab can be a cotton wool bud or a piece of gauze used to clean a wound or to apply pressure.

Lucia Martinez - Accuses KHMH of neglect
"I came out the Sunday. My husband went for me and when I came home, after that I started to smell bad. When I go on the bus, other people say what smell like that. So, I wanted to know and when I check myself I smelled like a dead rat."

Monica Bodden
"Any pain, any infection...?"

Lucia Martinez
"I got infection right now, yeast infection and all that."

Monica Bodden
"But at that time while you were smelling yourself...?"

Lucia Martinez
"I had infection already and they gave me infection pills."

After getting frustrated with what was happening to her body, Martinez took things into her own hands.

Lucia Martinez
"I told my husband that I am tired of feeling this weakness, feel bad, headaches and I was already seeing blank. I told him that I was tired of this and that I needed him to check me and so he told me to lay down on the bed. I lay down and he told me that a cloth was up inside me and he got the alcohol, rub his hands, got a scissors and took his time and took it out. When he took it out I couldn't take it because of the scent of it and that happened in Cayo because I was there at my mother-in-law."

Monica Bodden
"What did he took out from inside you?"

Lucia Martinez
"A cotton. When he took out that cotton, it was stink. The entire house was stink of it. I wanted to know how I felt bad with headaches and I was breastfeeding my baby. I could have poisoned my baby with that infection."

She was then admitted to the Western Regional Hospital in Belmopan for two days and was told she cannot breastfeed her newborn baby for the next six months nor will she be able to give birth to another child within the next 3 years.

Lucia Martinez
"They took me to Belmopan Hospital and they admitted me for two days and they told me that I couldn't have any more children for 3 months to 3 years. So, that was already poisoning my inside. They had given me 3 more days before I would passed away."

We did reach the KHMH PR manager today requesting for a comment - The hospital says they have reached out and met ?with the family and that the case is still under internal investigation. They plan on meeting with Lucia Martinez when their investigation has been completed. ?Martinez and her common-law-husband plan on taking legal action against the hospital.

Lucia Martinez
"Yesterday I went back to the hospital and they have me up and down because on the 12th they told me that I needed to go get a D and C and when I got there, they have me up and down and they told me on the 21st January to come back again. My cousin took me back to have them check me and they told me that everything is okay. This is foolishness, this is too much."

Monica Bodden
"You guys had an opportunity to speak with anyone in authority at the KHMH to actually inform them of what happened to you?"

Lucia Martinez
"The boss call me and told me to come and when I went there they have me up and down."

Monica Bodden
"Have they took blame for this?"

Lucia Martinez
"Yes, they took the blame. Last night when the nurse saw me who deliver the baby, he just pass. He didn't look at me or anything. I remember the nurse who attended to me - I remember all of them. And when I eat, I feel bad, I can't eat, I have lost lots of weight, and I am thin. This thing was poisoning my inside. This hospital have to get charge for this."

Martinez has retained a lawyer.

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