Belarusian woman experienced a rare complication during childbirth: "Discharged with a stoma on her side"

In the summer of 2025, Kristina became a mother for the first time. Her son was born a true giant: height - 57 centimeters, weight - 4840 grams. But for the girl, this event became the beginning of a difficult ordeal. "Giving birth to my son, I literally tore myself apart. Despite the large fetus and my requests for a C-section, doctors insisted on natural childbirth. As a result, having entered the maternity hospital as a healthy person, I was discharged almost disabled - with a stoma and a bag on my side," cries 24-year-old Kristina. To return to a normal life, the girl had to undergo several more operations, and the recovery process is still ongoing.

Kristina's case was considered by the Health Committee of the Minsk City Executive Committee. The commission concluded that there were no indications for a planned C-section, and what happened was "an unpredictable, very rare complication." Onliner reports the details of this story.

"I had a bad premonition"

Nine months have passed since the birth, but Kristina has not fully recovered yet. Giving birth to a large baby, she suffered a severe obstetric injury: third-degree perineal tears affecting the pelvic floor muscles and the anal sphincter. Later, Kristina developed a complication - a rectovaginal fistula. On the ninth day after childbirth, she underwent emergency surgery to create an intestinal stoma (an artificial opening on the abdomen, through which the intestine is brought out).

Павялічыць

— I remember the shock when I woke up and saw a colostomy on my side. It was unbearable to think that this could have been avoided if I had had a C-section. This was not a whim: all the latest ultrasounds confirmed that the fetus was very large. When my husband and I were driving to the maternity hospital, I already had a bad feeling.

To understand the situation, let's go back to the beginning of the story.

Kristina found out about her pregnancy in November 2024. By that time, she and Vladislav had been married for a year and were eagerly awaiting a child.

— The pregnancy proceeded normally, except that I was hospitalized twice for preservation: at 6 weeks due to bleeding and at 25 weeks, when an obstetric pessary (a silicone ring to prevent premature birth. — Note by Onlíner) was inserted onto the cervix. My belly was so huge that people around thought we were expecting twins, — the girl recalls.

Павялічыць

According to Kristina, already from the second screening, ultrasound doctors noted that she had a large fetus. Analyzing the situation later, the girl suggested that the baby might have been gaining weight so actively due to the vitamin complexes she was taking as prescribed by her gynecologist.

Kristina was also bothered by another point: she was not given the standard glucose tolerance test, which is usually prescribed to all pregnant women at 28 weeks to rule out diabetes.

— By the 37th week, I was seriously worried: how to give birth if the baby's weight was at the upper limit of the norm? — the girl recalls. — The gynecologist, however, reassured me: "You have a good pelvis, most likely you will manage it yourself. And if something goes wrong, they will do a C-section."

Павялічыць

Five days before the birth, Kristina had a paid ultrasound. The conclusion stated that the fetus was large, and its estimated weight was 4400 grams. On Monday, July 14, at 42 weeks of pregnancy, Kristina was admitted to Maternity Hospital No. 5. In the admissions room, she had a CTG and a control ultrasound, which only reinforced her fear of giving birth naturally: "diagnosed with a large fetus," weight - 4558 grams.

— I already had a bad feeling then. Despite such numbers, they began to prepare me for natural childbirth. No one warned me about possible risks. Instead, they prescribed castor oil and told me to wait, — Kristina recounts.

The next morning, July 15, after a night of "practice" contractions, the girl was examined by the ward doctor and the acting head of the department.

— I directly asked them: is a weight of more than 4.5 kilograms not a reason for a C-section? The head of the department palpated my belly again and snapped: "It's 4100 at most, you'll give birth yourself." I calmed down. I thought: doctors are experienced, they know better. Besides, I understood that recovery would be more difficult after surgery.

Kristina signed consent for amniotomy (artificial rupture of the fetal bladder to stimulate labor) and returned to her ward.

"That's a two-month-old baby! How did I even manage to give birth to him?!"

A day passed in anticipation, but labor did not begin. On the morning of July 16, Kristina was transferred to the prenatal ward, and her water was broken.

— I once again clarified with the doctor if I still needed a C-section. I remember being very worried about it. But she said: "We will give birth ourselves." After the water broke, fairly painful contractions began, and cervical dilation progressed well. At some point, I was given a painkiller injection, and I managed to sleep a little. When I woke up, the doctors examined me and said that the baby's head was not descending.

According to the heroine, to speed up the process, she was connected to an IV drip with a drug that stimulates uterine contractions. The labor process entered an active phase, and soon Kristina was transferred to the delivery room.

— At 13:43, literally with two or three pushes, I gave birth to my son. When he was placed on my chest, I couldn't believe my eyes: he was like a two-month-old baby! How did I even manage to give birth to him? Then the doctors said that I had severe tears and would have to be stitched under general anesthesia. While they were preparing for anesthesia, I heard the baby's weight — 4840 (!) grams. I was simply in shock! This was 700 grams more than the head of the department had predicted during a manual examination. I remember even asking again: "How much?!"

Kristina regained consciousness already on a gurney in the hallway. A midwife approached her several times, checking her condition.

— She said that I was severely torn, but "they had already stitched it up, and everything was fine." Later, the head of the maternity ward came over, congratulated me on the birth of a "giant," spoke of third-degree tears, and asked about my well-being. But in that hazy state, I didn't even imagine what third-degree tears meant or how serious everything was.

Павялічыць

Third-degree perineal tears are a severe obstetric injury in which not only the skin and pelvic floor muscles but also the anal sphincter are damaged. Such damage requires complex surgical plastic repair under general anesthesia. The primary healing period is four to six weeks, and among the risks are the development of infections and incontinence.

"Everyone has pain, do Kegel exercises"

That same evening, Kristina was transferred to the postpartum ward, and in the morning, her son was brought to her.

— Of course, my joy knew no bounds. And for the first two days, nothing particularly bothered me. On July 18, I went to the toilet for the first time and felt sharp, unbearable pain. I was scared, went to the nurses' station and explained that I had noticed blood and suture fragments on the napkin. The nurses said that "everyone has pain," gave me a painkiller, and sent me back to the ward. Only later did I realize that, most likely, at that very moment, the stitches began to unravel.

Over the weekend, during rounds, Kristina continued to complain to the doctors about her worsening condition.

— The pain became simply wild, and gas incontinence began. I was in a panic, but the doctors just shrugged: saying that after such a birth, this is normal. They advised me to do Kegel exercises to strengthen my muscles and wait for everything to "return to normal on its own."

Kristina notes that all this time, despite her complaints, examinations were conducted in the ward, on the bed. The girl is convinced that if the doctors had immediately examined her on a gynecological chair, the scale of the problem would have become clear much earlier.

— On Monday, July 21, the ward doctor came, looked, and said that she would call the head of the department because there was a "small defect." No one explained what that meant to me. The head, glancing cursorily, reassured me: "Everything is fine, just apply ointment - it will heal."

The next day, Kristina was promised a proctologist consultation. The girl believes that the medics only stirred after her parents intervened, calling the maternity hospital repeatedly.

— At night, I felt completely unwell. When I got up for formula for my son, spontaneous bowel emptying occurred through the vagina. I was horrified: I didn't even suspect that such a thing was physically possible.

On the morning of July 24, a medical council was convened. Accompanied by the head of the department, Kristina was taken to Hospital No. 2 to see proctologists.

— They looked and said: "We need to create a stoma, there's no other way." I understood what that meant: an intestine brought out to the side, and a life with a bag. From shock, I couldn't even cry.

Павялічыць

The doctors explained their decision as follows: due to severe trauma and sphincter rupture, a rectovaginal fistula had formed - essentially a through passage between the intestine and the vagina. For the tissues to heal, the intestine needed to be temporarily "disconnected" from its natural path. At the same time, Kristina was reassured: the stoma was temporary, for about two months. If all went well, it would be removed soon.

"The stoma was removed only after five months"

Kristina's newborn son was discharged on July 24, while she remained in the maternity hospital and was operated on the next day - the stoma was created.

— After that, I spent two days in intensive care. Doctors came and tried to dissuade me from stopping breastfeeding. But I realized that maintaining lactation was unrealistic: new anesthetics, months in hospitals, and repeated doses of antibiotics were ahead.

The girl was discharged home only two weeks after childbirth. In October, Kristina underwent another complex operation: the fistula was removed, and sphincteroplasty was performed. This was followed by a month in the hospital. All this time, the little one was looked after by his dad.

Павялічыць

Kristina's stoma was closed only in January 2026. The girl believes that it was only thanks to the efforts of the medical staff of Hospital No. 2 that she was able to return to a normal life.

The recovery, Kristina admits, was agonizing: it wasn't until the end of March that she felt better. Now the young mother must strictly adhere to a diet and limit physical activity, which is difficult with a small child in her arms.

Unwilling to accept what happened, Kristina filed a complaint with the Ministry of Health. She is confident that the care she received was inadequate, causing severe harm to her health.

— I am firmly convinced that such consequences could have been avoided. If the medics saw the enormous weight of the child, why didn't they choose a C-section? Even during natural childbirth, when it became clear that the fetus was progressing with difficulty, an episiotomy (a preventive incision. — Note by Onlíner) could have been performed, but it wasn't. As a result, I suffered third-degree tears and was discharged from the maternity hospital not with flowers and a baby, but alone and with a colostomy on my side.

Medical council: "You were very unlucky"

Before giving an official answer, Kristina was invited to a medical council at the Health Committee to "talk live" about her delivery.

— I went there with the hope that everything would be sorted out. Leading specialists of the capital were sitting in the office. They spoke to me with emphasized politeness, nodding sympathetically. They explained about "ultrasound inaccuracies," "complex biomechanisms," and "rarity of complications." Then I asked if they considered the refusal of a C-section lawful and why the doctors did not detect the fistula in time.

Павялічыць

They answered me literally: "According to the protocol, a C-section for a large fetus is done for the child, not for the mother." They implied that if the child could not be born, it would not have been born. And my case is "one in a thousand," just bad luck. It was unbearable to hear this. What then is done for the mother? Why can't the labor process be eased?

Official position of medics: "The birth plan was adequately drawn up"

In early April, Kristina received an official response from the Health Committee of the Minsk City Executive Committee. It states that the plan for natural childbirth was justifiably drawn up by the council, taking into account a "comprehensive approach."

Павялічыць

The medics emphasized: fetal weight calculation has a proven error of 100 to 500 grams, and ultrasound parameters can be wrong by 6%. "In your clinical case — in the range of 4280 grams, which is not a basis for a planned C-section. We draw your attention: a C-section for a large fetus is performed to prevent birth injuries in the child, not in the interest of the mother," the department's response states.

It further reports: since the child was born in good condition (8 out of 9 points on the Apgar scale) and without difficulties, the drawn-up birth plan should be considered "adequate."

As for severe injuries, according to medical statistics, third-degree perineal tears are rare: only 1.8 cases per thousand births. "The likelihood of trauma is determined not by the fetal mass, but by the peculiarities of the biomechanics of childbirth, the possibility of fetal head configuration, and the extensibility (elasticity) of the birth canal tissues. Perineal incision for a large fetus is not regulated by clinical protocol, although it is indeed applied by some specialists," the response clarifies.

The document also emphasizes that the sphincter rupture was diagnosed immediately, and the divergence of sutures and fistula formation were called a "timely detected, but unpredictable complication." According to the department, the treatment strategy was correct, and the patient's full recovery was possible thanks to "time and patience."

"The phrase that a C-section is done in the interest of the child seems the most cynical"

Kristina categorically disagrees with this interpretation. She dissects the committee's response point by point, highlighting what seems absurd to her.

— The committee writes about the acceptable inaccuracy of ultrasound. But in my case, the difference between the examination in the maternity hospital and the real weight was 300 grams, and between the doctor's "manual" examination and reality — almost 800! — the girl is indignant. — A child weighing 4840 grams and 57 centimeters tall is objectively a gigantic fetus. Why, in such a situation, is the patient not given the right to choose, even if she begs for a C-section?

Павялічыць

But most of all, Kristina was affected by the wording about priorities in obstetric practice.

— The phrase "C-section for a large fetus is performed in the interest of the child, not the mother" seemed to me the most cynical in the entire document, — she believes. — So, if the child was born healthy, it doesn't matter that the mother left the maternity hospital with a colostomy? That she had to be separated from her son and deprived of the opportunity to breastfeed for the sake of creating a stoma?

Kristina is convinced: the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Healthcare" guarantees quality and safe care to the patient, and not only to the fetus. And in her case, this balance was violated.

— My injuries — fistula, sphincter rupture, stoma — are direct and severe harm to my health. The Committee acknowledges in its response: "Episiotomy for a large fetus is not regulated, although it is applied by some specialists." It turns out that the commission confirms that prevention was possible. But, since the protocol does not oblige it, one can choose not to do it? As a result, instead of a neat surgical incision, I received a ragged wound all the way to the intestine. This is a very confusing position.

The girl notes that after all she has been through, she does not intend to stop at the committee's response. She plans to seek an independent expert examination to "assess the timeliness of injury diagnosis and the real quality of the care provided."

— I am not a medic, but I can put facts together, — Kristina says. — And the fact remains a fact: I entered the maternity hospital as a healthy person, and I was discharged disabled with a stoma on my side. And no one wants to take responsibility for it.

Now Kristina continues to recover, trying not to lift anything heavier than her "giant."

— Despite the commission deeming the medics' actions correct, I still hope that my story will help to look at women's problems in the delivery room differently.

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