Perinatal mourning leaves an indelible mark on you, suffering it less than 2 weeks after giving birth overwhelms your heart, mind and body like a tsunami.
Throughout this nightmare, which my partner and I fell into on the warm night of April 5th, we had fundamental support from the Obstetrics department of Santa Maria in Terni.
We arrived at the ward around 01.00 at night asking for an urgent check-up due to the lack of movement in the mother’s belly for several hours of our future second daughter.
The check was carried out in a crescendo of anxieties and fears which soon gave way to the terrible news, an absent heartbeat and the need to give birth to our Ilary following the standard procedure of natural induced birth.
So many thoughts go through your head in those moments, so many “if I would have done it” and infinite doubts about how it could have happened.
Doubts and fears immediately listened to with infinite patience and professionalism by the midwives and gynecologist on duty, who never stopped telling us “it wasn’t our fault, you couldn’t have done anything more… and that suffocation from the umbilical cord , even if rare, it happens and it is often impossible to intervene even immediately”
From here I would like to start with thanks, because it is precisely from here that our journey within the department begins, which I immediately notice has changed since the last experience which took place 4 years earlier in the midst of Covid.
From the sad news to the resignation, my partner and I were able to stay together in a single room with the constant support of all the department staff.
However, I have the moral duty and infinite pleasure to thank Dr. Luisella Pallozzi, whose untimely death we have learned in recent days, whose professionalism and immense sense of duty has allowed a substantial change in the department since our last traumatic visit, his innovations have made it possible to highlight all the professionalism of the department staff.
An immense thank you also to Dr. Candelori, with whom a direct and professional doctor-patient relationship was established immediately, which allowed my partner to experience this painful moment in an intimate way and in a serene atmosphere, with my constant presence even in the delivery room.
Finally, I also publicly thank Mrs. Paola Muccigrosso for following us in all phases at the morgue, with constant care and professionalism and finally Dr. MG Cacace who gave me clear answers to all my questions, listening to me with professionalism and humanity.
As repeated several times during our stay, we were truly surprised by the new modus operandi of all the staff with whom we came into contact, with the hope that it is only the beginning of a constant change and improvement of the Obstetrics and Gynecology department, department which we found profoundly changed since our last negative experience which occurred 4 years ago, a change which occurred also thanks to the work carried out by Dr. Pallozzi together with all her staff.
