A Vancouver-area mother who was separated from her newborn child because of swine flu concerns says that her nerve-wracking experience should serve as a cautionary tale for other expectant mothers.
Mother Jennifer Shultz is now back with her young son, but that wasn't the case when young Dillon was born two weeks ago.
Shortly before Dillon's birth, father Matty Dennis fell ill with severe, flu-like symptoms. Fearing that he could infect his unborn child and the mother, Dennis went to a local hospital.
Shultz expected Dennis to be hospitalized, but that wasn't the case.
"We thought he would get triaged as well as me, being 38 weeks pregnant. They looked at him, took his temperature (and it was) 39 C," she said, adding that both parents were told to go home.
"They looked at me, and said, 'Ah there's no need. We don't need to triage you.'"
Still, Dennis says he was deeply concerned.
"I told them that my symptoms were very strong flu symptoms. They didn't seem much to care about it," he said, referring to hospital staff.
However, the next day, Shultz fell ill and began vomiting and her baby's heart rate jumped. This time, her family doctor had her immediately admitted to the BC Women's Hospital in Vancouver.
Shultz was then given an emergency C-section and was put under a strict isolation order. She wasn't even allowed to see her newborn son.
Tests confirmed that Shultz did in fact contract swine flu, but fortunately, her son did not have the illness. Results from Dennis' tests have yet to come back from the lab.
However, the family says they're concerned that hospital staff aren't taking the threat seriously.
"(At) 38 weeks pregnant, I should have been priority," she said.
Health officials refused to comment on the incident, citing privacy concerns. However, they did acknowledge that swine flu poses a high risk to pregnant women. They also said that concerned mothers should consult their family doctors.
Meanwhile, Shutlz just hopes that others can learn from her ordeal.
"I don't want to see anyone else have to go through that," she said.
With a report from CTV's Vancouver Bureau Chief Rob Brown
