“Don’t ever, ever make the mistake that I made, letting your child go (to the hospital) alone," Pouncey said.
Every time Patricia Pouncey thinks about the awful death of her daughter, Nikita Washington, in December 2022, she feels numb. Washington, a mom from Detroit, who had undergone a cesarean section to deliver her 12th child, a boy called Nathaniel, passed away at Harper University Hospital the following day.
Pouncey, who is currently caring for Nathaniel and her daughter's 11 other children, believes that the uncertainty surrounding the circumstances of her passing has made her loss even more painful. “I just have a lot of questions right now,” Pouncey said to CNN. “I ask myself all the time, ‘What went wrong?’”
US grandmother Patricia Pouncey is still coming to terms with the death of her daughter Nikita Washington who died after giving birth t 12th child in hospital. ~ Tuko News pic.twitter.com/OOHqVuXF1g
— Peterson magneto (@Petersonmagneto) April 17, 2023
Washington, who went to the hospital alone, underwent a cesarean surgery on the evening of December 22 after receiving hospital treatment for high blood pressure. Washington's sister visited the hospital to see how she was doing after several hours passed with no updates.
The family discovered the baby was born healthy the next morning. Washington, however, suddenly passed away while being treated by medical professionals for a loose stitch and severe bleeding, according to Pouncey. A Wayne County Clerk death certificate acquired by CNN reveals that the 35-year-old passed away due to "postpartum hemorrhage" and "complications from multiple cesarean sections."
Pouncey feels numb whenever she thinks about her daughter Nikita Washington’s tragic death last December. https://t.co/pCDVsR9ES3
— KRDO NewsChannel 13 (@KRDONC13) April 17, 2023
Pouncey, though, claims she doubts the physicians' efforts to save her daughter. "I haven't talked to anyone from the hospital. I have not received anything from them. All I have is the death certificate," Pouncey shared.
Washington's mother and 12 children now await answers from an autopsy. "If she died naturally, I want to know. If one of them doctors did something, I wanna know that too," Pouncey said, per PEOPLE. "I'm hurt, I'm confused."
Pouncey is now responsible for raising all 12 of her daughter's children, whose ages range from 3 months to 19 years old, as the family struggles to cope with the loss and move on after Washington's passing. "I'm just stuck right now," she added. "I have all 12 of her kids right now with me, so I got to get a bigger house because my house is too small," she added, per PEOPLE. The family also organized a GoFundMe to help with expenses.
Pouncey is grateful for the gifts that enabled the family to purchase a larger home and a dependable vehicle as she relies on her faith to move forward and raise Washington's children. She wants her daughter to be remembered as a kind, generous girl who loved doing her hair, listening to music, and spending time with her family. “God’s got us,” Pouncey said.
Pouncey encourages family members of expectant and new mothers to speak up for their loved ones, ask questions, and insist that medical professionals explain complicated terms. “I’m worried about every mother,” Pouncey said. “Don’t ever, ever make the mistake that I made, letting your child go (to the hospital) alone. We need to give more attention to what’s going on.”
Black mothers deserve healthy pregnancies and happy lives with their kids. As #BlackMaternalHealthWeek comes to an end, I pledge to continue fighting for mothers like Nikita Washington and ensuring that Congress prioritizes their lives. https://t.co/gI1liI58Zb
— Haley Stevens (@HaleyLive) April 17, 2023
References:
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/16/us/detroit-mother-dies-childbirth-reaj/index.html
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-for-burial-and-her-kids
Cover Image Source: Facebook | Irth
