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“The Challenge” alum Anastasia Carter, nee Miller, became a mother six months ago and she recently shared her shocking and traumatic birth story on Instagram. The “Real World: Portland” star wrote that she was the victim of medical malpractice and when she gave birth to her son she nearly died and suffered serious injuries that are still plaguing her today. Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of the injuries she suffered.
Anastasia shared her story in a series of text slides on her Instagram, which has now been set to private, but her account of what happened is also available on the GoFundMe set up by her husband Stephen Carter. She explained that she was supposed to have an induction with a doctor but instead had a hospital-assigned midwife and nurse who did not listen to her during childbirth. She said:
A [Certified Nurse-Midwife] and nurse made me push for 4 plus hours with a sunny side up, 9.11lb baby boy despite my pleas, cries and demands for ending it, for a dr, that my pain was 10/10, that I was at my limit, that I was distressed, to speak w a Dr about a c section, screaming for intervention, etc.
Anastasia wrote that her son Ernie was “stuck in my pelvis face up (could see his hair) for hours while I pushed.” She said she was told by the CNM that she was “holding back” and it was her “fault he was stuck.” She also claimed that the CNM removed her epidural button to prevent her from pushing it.
She shared, “Not understanding what options were and becoming increasingly distressed and scared, I screamed and pushed my way through 4 plus hours of this.” She said eventually a doctor was called in and began a vacuum. “I had a form placed in front of my face and was told to sign it for a c section,” she shared, adding, “I was not explained vacuum. But was desperate and wanted help so just did it.”
Anastasia said the vacuum process was “excruciating” and it “popped off several times” although she wrote that it wasn’t supposed to be used if it popped off more than twice. Her son was delivered after about 6 attempts and she said it “ripped my entire body open” and she suffered severe tears. The former reality star said she began bleeding out and “lost so much blood.”
The doctor had his entire arm inside of me digging out pieces of my placenta and then sewing me while also giving me shots in [my] legs etc. I lost consciousness and a strong pulse. A rapid response team was called- run in and work on me, and a massive blood transfusion was called. my hemoglobin was a 3.
I lost consciousness looking at my husband crying holding my new son and desperately trying to help me. I was sure I was dead. I was in and out of consciousness and my body was In shock (uncontrollably shaking and cold) while they worked in me for a long time.
Anastasia also shared that she has thalassemia, which is a blood disorder that causes the body to not have as much hemoglobin. Anastasia wrote that it was all indicated in her chart because losing blood is “very dangerous” due to her condition but that the medical team was unprepared. She said at the end of childbirth and when she was stabilized, the CNM gave her a sheet explaining 4th-degree tears, which are “the most severe” vaginal tears according to the Mayo Clinic. “A doctor never came in to explain what happened to me or my wounds etc.,” she added.
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Anastasia Explained That She Was in Constant Pain Over the Following Months & Was Unable to Properly Care for Her Baby
Anastasia also explained the aftermath of her childbirth on her fundraiser page, detailing how she struggled to care for Ernie. “I couldnt even walk or sit upright on my own, no exaggeration,” she wrote. “I needed help showering, peeing getting dressed getting undressed, changing wound care nonstop, getting my son, changing son, feeding son. My breastfeeding dreams were shot.”
She said the situation has been ongoing for 6 months and that she is still in constant pain every day. The former reality star wrote that the experience “traumatized” her and eroded her faith in the medical community. She said she wouldn’t have another child because of it and the experience “has stolen any happiness I had from the feeling of being a new mother.”
The “Rivals II” competitor also said she has been diagnosed with PTSD and listed her symptoms, including trouble sleeping, nightmares and panic attacks. “I am devastated,” she wrote. “I feel depressed about the body i live in now…I don’t consider it mine anymore.”
She concluded, “I have been incontinent both ways, my vagina was sewn partially open, my anus is next to my vagina and dysfunctional. A laceration through my urethra was missed and fused together over my urethra, making urinating painful.” The screenshots of her birth story from Instagram are also available on Reddit.
In June 2022, Anastasia Underwent Surgery to Repair the Damage She Suffered During Childbirth
Anastasia updated her GoFundMe page to share that on June 16, she underwent surgery to repair the damage: “my laceration, sphincteroplasty, perineoplasty, possible fistula, fix sewn open vagina. Basically all of it,” she wrote. She said her husband has to be on unpaid leave for 6-8 weeks to care for her and their child.
The former reality star said they sold their vehicle to try to cover all the costs. “We are a working class family,” she said. “Stephen is a shipyard worker and ex-Navy. We live paycheck to paycheck, that’s just how it is.” The “Real World” alum asked for help to cover their expenses and said any amount would help them.
She later took to her Instagram Stories to thank everyone who supported them by sharing the fundraiser page and contributing. According to an emotional video saved on Reddit, she said, “I’m so shocked at how many people are supporting me. I have felt so alone in my experience for months so it’s overwhelmingly touching.”
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