New mum breaks leg hours after giving birth when ‘asked to move beds’

A new mother claims she slipped and broke her leg after being asked to leave a maternity ward before her epidural had worn off six hours after giving birth.

Shina Ali reportedly fractured her right tibia when a nurse asked her to move after midnight, despite the 27-year-old explaining her leg was still numb.

The ordeal, which took place on February 19, led to a high-level Serious Sentinel Event investigation, which requires reporting to the Health Quality and Safety Commission, according to NZME.

Shina Ali, 27, said she told nurse at Middlemore Hospital her legs were still numb before fracturing her tibia (pictured) 

Six hours after her son was born, Ms Ali said a nurse told the new mother she needed to go to a birthing unit as the ward was full. 

Ms Ali claims she asked for a wheelchair or help walking to the car but was not offered any aid.

A report into the incident by Counties Manukau DHB found Middlemore Hospital would need to review the number of beds to ensure the best inpatient care for women.

The document also stated the care Ms Ali received was outside the guidelines expected for patient care. 

‘Mrs [Ali] was inappropriately mobilised on a numb leg, she subsequently fell and fractured her tibia … This was due to competing priorities with high clinical demand in Maternity Services.’ 

The report indicated the nurse was feeling pressured to relocate Ms Ali as quickly as possible and the hospital employee did not pass on to her supervisor that the patient’s leg was numb.

A report into the incident by Counties Manukau DHB found Middlemore Hospital (pictured) would need to review the number of beds to ensure the best inpatient care for women

A report into the incident by Counties Manukau DHB found Middlemore Hospital (pictured) would need to review the number of beds to ensure the best inpatient care for women

Ms Ali said she was happy overall with how the report turned out, but would have liked to see the nurse be held responsible. 

‘They should have at least given her a written warning,’ said Ms Ali, whose leg was in a moon boot for six weeks and left unable to take her newborn baby out. 

‘It was quite hard. I had a lot of family support but if that didn’t happen it could have been a different situation,’ she said.

Jenn Hooper, founder and spokeswoman of the support group for families affected by failures in maternity care Action to Improve Maternity, believes the DHB had not fulfilled their duties. 

‘You should never be discharging somebody when they’re still got effects of an epidural for exactly the reasons of what happened in this fall, but also what if it’s not actually the epidural effect that’s causing that numbness? What if it was a pinched nerve?’ 



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