Jennifer Schultz gave birth to her son Dillon by emergency C-section last week after falling ill with H1N1 - leaving the first-time mother wondering why hospital workers didn't react sooner to her apparent illness.
The day before the cesarean, Dillon's father was feeling sick. Schultz went with him to Richmond General Hospital, where she says she was already exhibiting a cough.
After administering some tests, the couple was sent home with no special advice - despite Schultz's pregnancy. It wasn't until Schultz went for a routine checkup that she was told she would have to give birth immediately.
"They looked at his heart rate again and said we can't risk him being in there any longer," Schultz said.
"I mean this is my first kid, I'm hearing that in utero he's in trouble."
Related: Childbirth nightmare for H1N1-positive mother
Vancouver Coastal Health spokesperson Anna Marie d'Angelo says advising pregnant mothers with flu symptoms to see their doctors is common protocol.
"I can't speak for any specific case, but it's certainly routine to give that kind of information," d'Angelo said. "Whoever your patients are, you act in their best interests."
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control advises any late-term pregnant mothers, as well as anyone with underlying illnesses like asthma or diabetes, to see their doctor immediately if they feel they have contracted any kind of flu virus.
Approved treatment for flu-stricken mothers
This fall, pregnant women will be advised to get their regular flu shot as well as the H1N1 shot when it becomes available. But for a woman who's already sick, the treatment is Tamiflu.
"There doesn't appear to be any safety risk related to using that medication and pregnancy," Dr. Deborah Money of the BC Women's Hospital said. "Any theoretical risk is certainly outweighed by the risk of severe respiratory illness."
No one from the hospital has contacted Schultz and her partner about what happened - the couple just hopes it will never happen to anyone else.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Maria Weisgarber
