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John Romero, Husband
"When we arrived at Belmopan, they told us that he (doctor) would prepare her for immediate surgery. So when we arrived at Belmopan less than half an hour, she was prepared and taken to the operating theater and short at about maybe 10-15 minutes into surgery, the brought out the baby and I met the nurse in the corridor when she came out with my baby. This was about 20-25 minutes after I saw the baby and the nurse told came and told me that the doctor says that he needs to conduct a second surgery, because a bleeding was not stopping within her. So he needed to go in again and open and try to stop the bleeding. But he told me that they would have to remove her womb, because he told me that her womb was not contracting."

Courtney Weatherburne
"So they had to immediately remove her womb?"

John Romero, Husband
"By the time they brought the form for me to sign, it was already in progress."

Courtney Weatherburne
"Really without your consent?"

John Romero, Husband
"Without my consent. They brought the form when the surgery had already been taken place. At around 8:00 - 8:15 thereabout, the nurse came to me and said that I can come in and see her. So I went into the operating theater and I spoke to her and she was had just woken up, recognizing who was around her and then I held her hand and she ask me what happened? I told her that they had to operate you because you were bleeding. I told her that they took out her womb and she said serious and I said yes, everything will be okay. Just keep strong and I will be right here by your side."

But everything wasn't okay - after her womb was removed she began to complain of stomach pain. When the nurses checked her they noticed that her stomach was swollen. The doctors told Romero that there was nothing more they could do and that Sanchez had to be transferred to the KHMH for further treatment. So they rushed her to the KHMH that evening around 6:30. And it is at the KHMH that the doctors made an even more startling discovery.

John Romero, Husband
"Doctor Arriaga asked her 'how do you feel' and she said "I'm feeling weak, I cannot breathe. I feel like I cannot catch my breathe." after a few minutes, an outgoing doctor was on shift, he was going home, they brought an ultrasound machine where she is. They placed the fluid on the tip of the ultrasound machine and they put it to her side and there are then he looks at me and says, he says 'Mr. Romero, what you are seeing here is a pool of blood in her abdomen' and I said what? I said you got to be kidding me, a pool of blood? And he say "yes, it's a pool of blood, she was bleeding." I just caught chills. I don't know what else to say, what else to do and then Doctor Arriaga come to me and tells me "are you the husband" and I says yes, what will happen. He says "Okay, listen to me, she is critically right now, she is in a critical condition. We will need to take her to the operating theater, because we need to remove this blood and stop the bleeding.""

After about an hour, the doctor told Romero that he had removed 3 pints of blood from his wife's stomach and that he had stopped the bleeding but that she was still very critical. She was then taken to the Intensive Care Unit where she died on Thursday morning September 10th at 3:10. Romero expressed his disbelief when he got the news that morning.

John Romero, Husband
"I got a call at about 3:15am Thursday morning the 10th, and someone on the phone told me that she didn't make it. She passed away and I said oh my God."

Courtney Weatherburne
"I know this is extremely difficult and devastating for you and especially the kids. What did the doctors tell you? Describe to us what explanation they gave as to why she didn't make it sir?"

John Romero, Husband
"The doctors told me what they had told me the night - the wording when I went to the hospital about 6:30 - they told me that there was nothing else they can do for her. It is devastating for someone to lose a love one at the hands of medical officers due to negligence. I don't want this to happen to anyone else. For the sake of the kids, for the sake of the family - it's not right."

And that is the reason why Romero says he is taking legal action. He told us that it starts at the Western Regional hospital because according to him, they did not consult him before going through with the surgery and that the hospital didn't even have all the equipment to do the operation. IN terms of the baby - Heidi - she is healthy and staying in San Ignacio with relatives until tomorrow which is her last day at the clinic at Loma Luz Hospital. Sanchez only got to nurse her baby for a short while after she gave birth.

So right now Romero and his family want answers but they will have to wait because when we called both the Western Regional Hospital and the KHMH today, they told us that the case is being investigated by the Ministry of Health and that they can't give comment until an official report has been released.

Romero and Sanchez have 4 kids together including baby Heidi.

Just four years ago, Belize reported zero maternal deaths - which is one of the millennium development goals. Anecdotal reports tell us that 2015 has been especially bad for maternal deaths, and Belize is not on track to meet that goal.