NEED TO KNOW
- Mercedes Wells, the mom who gave birth on the side of the road after she was discharged from a hospital while in active labor, has been hospitalized
- Family said Wells is experiencing post-birth health issues, including excruciating pain and hemorrhaging
- A member of the U.S. House of Representatives will soon propose a new bill aimed at improving protections for expectant moms
The mom who gave birth on the side of the road minutes after she was discharged from an Indiana hospital has been hospitalized with post-birth health issues.
Mercedes Wells reportedly gave birth to her daughter, Alena Ariel, on the side of the road on Nov. 16 — just eight minutes after leaving Franciscan Health Crown Point Hospital.
The mom said she was told to go home because a nurse did not believe she was in active labor, according to a Facebook post shared by her sister-in-law, Cherise Thompson.
Wells is now back in the hospital with what her brother-in-law, Lance Thompson Jr., described as post-birth health issues, The Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Lance said Wells is being cared for at Community Hospital in Munster, Ind., where she gave birth, due to trauma she experienced while giving birth to Alena, according to The Chicago Tribune.
Leon Wells, Mercedes’ husband, told the paper that his wife was transported to University of Chicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, Ill., on Sunday, Nov. 23, after experiencing excruciating pain and hemorrhaging.
Mercedes was later transported to Community Hospital after staff at the first hospital recognized the mom, Lance added. He expects his wife will be in the hospital for at least a couple of days.
“They said she’s going through trauma from the difficult delivery, and they gave her medicine,” the dad said, “but she’s breastfeeding and has to take smaller doses, so she can still breastfeed.”
Multiple videos of Mercedes’ ordeal, including her being discharged from the hospital while in labor and after she gave birth to her baby, went viral.
In statements obtained by PEOPLE, Franciscan Health Crown Point President and CEO Raymond Grady said the hospital investigated and, as of Nov. 21, the physician and nurse directly involved with the mother’s care are “no longer employed by Franciscan.”
“The recent video shared on social media does not reflect the values of Franciscan Health Crown Point, which include respect for life and compassionate concern,” Grady said. “Respect for life can be compromised when a mother and baby are prematurely discharged.”
He added, “Compassionate concern is absent when a caregiver fails to listen to a patient who is clearly in pain and vulnerable. The video was difficult to watch.”
Speaking with CNN just days after giving birth, Mercedes said she never met the doctor who was let go. “[I’ve] never seen her face,” the mom explained, adding that “no doctors ever came into my room.”
On Tuesday, Nov. 25, Illinois Rep. Robin Kelly announced plans to introduce new maternal health legislation with Mercedes known as The Women Expansion for Learning and Labor Safety Act (WELLS) Act, which “will urge hospitals and birthing centers to develop and implement a safe discharge plan” for expectant mothers.
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The goal, Kelly said in a statement, is “to ensure no other mother goes through the same pain” Mercedes experienced while giving birth to her fourth child.
“Mercedes has given birth three times before and was telling the nurse she was in active labor, but far too often, Black women’s pain is ignored, dismissed, and discharged,” Kelley said. “This cannot continue to happen.”
Kelly plans to introduce the WELLS Act once the House of Representatives is back in session after Thanksgiving, according to the press release.
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