On March 14, digital creator India Batson posted a TikTok video demanding separate waiting rooms for pregnant people and people who have had miscarriages. Since then, online users have been debating the topic.
In her video, Batson opened up about having back-to-back pregnancy losses: a ruptured ectopic pregnancy and a miscarriage. In ruptured ectopic pregnancies, a fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus, instead of in the fallopian tube, leading to severe bleeding, infection and sometimes death. In certain cases, the fallopian tube has to be removed, which was the case for Batson. In both instances, she was made to wait in waiting rooms with visibly pregnant women.
“Sitting in that waiting room next to tons of pregnant women while you wait to go back just to get bloodwork to see if your HCG [level] is back to zero sucks, like it absolutely sucks,” Batson said.
There are different types of pregnancy losses, such as a miscarriage which refers to the loss of a fetus before the twentieth week of pregnancy, or a stillbirth, which is the loss of a fetus after the twentieth week. Miscarriages occur in about 10 of 100 pregnancies and still pregnancies occur in 1 of 100 pregnancies, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Pregnancy loss can lead to mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A recent study suggests that 1 in 3 pregnant people have symptoms of PTSD one month after a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy and 1 in 4 have symptoms of moderate or severe anxiety. People are at subsequent risk in the following years of these symptoms. Joining a support group or seeing a therapist or psychiatrist is encouraged to deal with complicated feelings as well as finding comfort in others who have had similar experiences.
Hospitals use the same waiting rooms for pregnant people and those who have miscarried in other countries as well. “There was a situation where two couples knew each other and it was like ‘oh my god, congratulations’ and hugging and kissing, and I was sat, waiting to be told, yes, you have miscarried,” said Jodie Nicholson from England. “It was a very different situation for me and I knew that I was bleeding my pregnancy away, but was still placed in that same waiting space.”
Batson and Nicholson went to their hospitals directly to make change. Nicholson worked with the Rotherham Hospital to make the experience more comfortable for others. She mentioned the hospital was understanding of her needs, but she wants the entire system changed for future patients. The solution is a separate waiting room. For Nicholson, this is operationalized through a code word for the receptionist so they can be easily identified. People with different types of losses can be placed into the same room.
“I felt that there were ways that we could improve an already horrific experience by adding trauma-informed care to these Ob-Gyn offices after women learn that they’ve lost their baby and are going through the grieving process, and just being more compassionate and empathetic to these women,” Batson said.