In the Oct. 16 edition of The Argonaut, there was an article featuring our research on traumatic birth experiences and Kristin’s experience with a difficult delivery. Because there were a number of errors in the piece as published, we write this to clarify some of the content.
Some of the errors were factual. The article incorrectly listed Gritman Medical Center as a place where a doctor dismissed Kristin’s concerns, Ethan’s age was wrong and women’s stories were falsely called “incoherent.” However, there were also larger concerns that are more difficult to correct.
First, the piece incompletely framed a preliminary finding of our research. Specifically, we — and other scholars — have found that storytelling can be a healing experience for women who have faced a difficult birth. For many women, the people involved in the experience take on larger than life roles, almost like superhero figures. These roles are often very simplistic and can be as basic as “the people who helped” and “the people who didn’t.” This got lost in the article, the context of the term “villain” was thus distorted, and, as a result, the article did not accurately reflect our work.
The second major error made by the author was the characterization of our participant’s narratives as “incoherent.” The women who have participated in our work are strong and resilient. Despite facing traumatic and difficult experiences, they have persisted to be wonderful and loving parents, partners and friends.
Without any benefit to themselves, these women volunteer to participate in our research and tell their story, in the hopes of helping women who undergo similar experiences. More to the point, the stories we have heard are raw, honest, passionate, inspiring and deeply coherent. We honor the women and their stories.
Third, the article mischaracterized Kristin’s experience at Gritman. Gritman is a critical access hospital. This means that as a smaller and more rural hospital, they provide services important to the communities in our region and then partner with larger hospitals — that serve greater populations and have more financial resources — to provide highly specialized care, such as a burn center or neonatal intensive care unit. In regard to childbirth, this means babies that need intense levels of support are sometimes transferred to larger hospitals.
Kristin has nothing but wonderful things to say about the care she received at Gritman and by her obstetrician. The team performed a successful emergency cesarean section, saving both Ethan and Kristin’s lives. The team then lovingly cared for the pair for several days before discharging them to Spokane. Because the weather was bad on the day they were transferred with snow and low visibility, the air ambulance (helicopter) couldn’t land on the hospital’s rooftop helipad. So they were transferred by ambulance to the Moscow-Pullman Airport where a fixed-wing air ambulance flew them to Spokane.
Finally, we would like to share that every person involved with this study has experienced traumatic birth in different ways. Leanna Keleher, the research assistant for the study, has said that the research and interviews she has completed have been healing for her. She has dedicated herself to this research and hopes to continue interviewing parents in a respectful and comprehensive way.