Extended cut: Texas radio host Ryan Hamilton on wife's devastating miscarriage

when you find out your baby doesn't have a heartbeat that's only the beginning so the conversation becomes what do we do Ryan Hamilton says his world shattered on May 16th his wife was nearly 13 weeks pregnant with their second child when she called him with tragic news she said that our baby has no heartbeat and that's all she could really get out medical records reviewed by CBS News show his wife was treated at a surepoint Emergency Center branch near his home in north Texas where doctors confirmed the fetus had no heartbeat we were told she could take a medication that would start the process to finish to finish what had already started at home they don't send you home with real instructions they give you a few things to look out for but they don't there's not like you would think that would come with a thick book of what to do no Hamilton's wife was prescribed myole a drug that induces labor and is used for both miscarriages and abortions they use terminology with us like terminate the pregnancy nobody uses the word abortion at this point okay nobody has nobody she has not said it you have not said it no one has said that word Hamilton's wife was sent home to expel the nonviable fetus and told her return if she needed to repeat the medication and after 2 days we call the emergency center that we went to and we say it's not working so she goes back in and that doctor says due to the current stance I cannot prescribe this medicine for you how did you take that Fury my wife especially I can't say what she said it's confusing at first and there's no explanation from them so you just assume the stance of the State of Texas because of the law when that doctor said that did you think you were going to get the proper help for your wife no you start thinking about the women that have to drive across state lines we've heard these stories and you just as a husband you go is that what we're going to have to do surepoint Emergency Center declined our requests for comment citing patient confidentiality and Hippa law all you're thinking is is she going to be okay how do we make sure she's okay am I the only one thinking it in those moments because it feels like it you want to panic but you can't at this point you're just thinking get my wife safe yeah what are we going to do leave the baby inside her so she can get an infection get sepsis that can kill her after leaving the surepoint Emergency Center Hamilton immediately drove his wife along with their 9-month-old daughter to another hospital an hour away where she was treated for four hours and doctors confirmed again there was no fetal heartbeat Hamilton asked CBS News not to name the hospital while you're driving how is she doing it's just quiet and we're trying to be happy for our daughter that's in the back seat hey we're going on an adventure let's go but inside no it's brutal and God knows what my wife is feeling in that moment what do you think the delay is I think the delay is their confusion on what they're allowed to do that's what it feels like they feel scared the doctors feel scared according to Texas law abortions are illegal once a fetal heartbeat is detected with exceptions for medical emergencies did the doctor say she was okay this is what the doctor said they said it was not enough of an emergency to perform a DNC they told us we could have the procedure done maybe we could schedule it for a week or two later DNC stands for dilation and curage a surgical procedure to remove uterine tissue it's used for both miscarriages and abortions the law does not require there to be a medical emergency to perform a DNC if there is no cardiac activity like in the Hamilton's case in a statement the hospital told CBS News it follows Texas and federal laws in accordance with national standards of care so it's no longer medical it's legal that's what it feels like and the conversation is not what's best for my wife the conversation is on the hospital side what should we do doctors opted to give her a higher dose of medication and sent her home for a third time I was in the living room playing with with our daughter and I had a Mist call on my phone from her I go into our bedroom and then into the bathroom and she is on the bathroom floor there's blood where she fell from the toilet to the floor she's unconscious and her phone is still ringing to call me so I picked her up I put her back on the toilet I had to dress her and my only goal in that moment was to get her to the emergency room got to the hospital ran inside told them what was happening and they took her in and you know what they said thank God you brought her did you think at any point that you were going to lose your wife yes yeah what is that drive like you have your wife unconscious next to you bleeding a 9-month-old in the back what thought during that drive are you trying to keep out of your mind that I want to drive as fast as I can but I can't cuz my daughter's in the back I want to go I want to floor it to the hospital but I can't cuz I got to keep it together for the little girl in the back seat and I don't want to put her life in any more danger than I already am driving us to the hospital so what happens next at that point we're able to verify that the baby is no longer with her oh it's hard cuz you know where the baby went the baby had come out I don't even know the words the medicine did what it was supposed to do yeah so so the baby's no longer there then it's just a matter of getting her to the point where she could go home did you feel that she would be okay at home no she's still bleeding when she gets home still bleeding right now what people don't know what I didn't know is that her body still thinks it's pregnant so she has to have a pregnancy test and you have to keep taking them until it says negative so she still has positive pregnancy tests what do you want people to know about your experience I want people to know that this really happens my fear is that stories like ours will continue to get told and not believed I can't believe the number of people that have called me a liar that say this is political propaganda or some political stunt this is about the health of my wife period you live in a rural community how do you think your neighbors would take what happened to you do you think they would embrace you and and try to care for you I think so I hope so I don't know I hope they do the thing that happened when I was a kid and I lost my granddad and the neighbors brought over food they put you on the prayer list at church you want that they took care of you we took care of each other that's what I hope happens what I think is going to happen is probably the opposite we hear from moms and women who go through this but in your particular story why are you talking why isn't your wife talking she doesn't want to she has a reminder of what she's been through every day of her life right now every day she has to relive it and go through it she has to go in that same bathroom she has to see a positive pregnancy test she she can barely get through that she doesn't want to walk anybody through what happened and I don't blame her I don't really want to either if I'm being honest I feel like I have to everything in her life right now that she's having to do to get better is not just a reminder of the baby that we lost it's a reminder of what they put her through and she has to do it every day

Channel: CBS Mornings

Views: 35,687

Keywords: CBS Mornings Clips, CBS Village Women, CBS Mornings Health, U.S.

Id: 3bKEFXZufeM

Length: 11min 13sec (673 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 04 2024