A mother-to-be recently had a traumatic experience compounded by her sonographer in the emergency room (ER).
Kenzi (@kenziiiim) writes in the caption on a TikTok in late May that she slipped that morning while walking their dog. She says her first appointment with her obstetrician wasn’t for a couple of weeks and her husband was out of town. So Kenzi went to the ER.
Because she was alone in the room with a male sonographer, Kenzi writes that she started recording on her phone.
You can see what appears to be a hospital room but neither Kenzi nor the sonographer are visible in the post.
You can hear a male voice say, “I can’t see anything.”
A text overlay on the TikTok reads, “So is my baby gone? Like????”
She adds that the sonographer continued speaking to her “like a robot like I’m dumb.” Kenzi also says he was “rude” even before she started recording.
Frightened, bleeding, and alone, upon hearing that the sonographer couldn’t see the fetus, Kenzi naturally got upset.
The sonographer was apparently indifferent to her fear.
You can hear her say through tears, “I’m scared.”
The sonographer replies, “Of what?”
Kenzi claims that he then “proceeds with silent treatment and more attitude.”
She did not lose the baby. More recent posts indicate that her pregnancy is proceeding without further issue.
Kenzi’s TikTok went mega viral. It has 13.5 million views as of this writing and has inspired a dialogue about how men in the medical field care for female patients.
Men treating women
Women often complain that male medical care providers ignore their complaints, underestimate their pain levels, and generally treat them in a way that is patronizing and infantilizing.
There are many women who are more than happy with their male doctors, nurses, and sonographers, of course. But the internet is rife with horror stories about how male medical care providers treat women generally and pregnant women particularly.
Last year, a woman claimed a male obstetrician laid on her during labor in an attempt to use his body weight to force the baby out.
One woman who commented on Kenzi’s post said that a male ER doctor told she was having a miscarriage and “to go home and deal with it.”
“He was fired and that ‘miscarriage’ just turned 15 this year,” she wrote.
Experiences like this and one Kenzi had have fueled a growing preference among women for female medical care providers, particularly in the field of obstetrics and gynecology.
“I would NEVER see a man for anything having to do with women issues!!” one woman wrote in response to the TikTok.
What did the sonographer do wrong?
People who commented on Kenzi’s post listed two ways in which the sonographer was purportedly in the wrong.
For one, they said there should’ve been a female nurse in the room. Per Kenzi, it was just her and him. No one else can be heard in the room. This is for safety and accountability for all parties.
“While not always legally required, it is a common practice and often recommended for a female nurse or medical assistant to be present during a gynecological exam, especially when the doctor is male, for patient comfort and safety,” one person wrote.
People have a serious problem with how the sonographer reacted when Kenzi told him she was frightened.
“The fact he didn’t say anything after you said you’re scared,” one woman opined. “He has zero bedside manner. My husband would have turned feral.”
Many people urged Kenzi to contact the patient advocate at the sonographer’s hospital.
In comments, Kenzi says she did contact the patient advocate.
“I’ve done what I can so far! Got a call back already and going from there!” she wrote.
Kenzi hasn’t revealed the outcome of that complaint. Since her video about the sonographer went viral, she did reveal the gender of her pregnancy. She’s expecting a baby girl.
Kenzi didn’t immediately respond to a direct message sent via TikTok.
@kenziiiim This was just mean. I can’t get over this interaction. Had a worry plus I slipped that morning walking my dog. My first OB apt wasn’t for another 2 weeks so I went in alone bc my husband was out of town for work and was treated this way. Sir if you don’t wanna be a sonographer then don’t?!!! When I express I’m scared and you know I’m bleeding plus slipped… just cruel. #healthcare #healthcareworker #rude #tw #sonogram #pregnant #ER #babyonboard #complaint #hospital #visit #pregnancy #texas ♬ original sound – Kenziiiim
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