Susanna Talamantes had a history of pregnancy complications. With her first pregnancy, she suffered from hypertension and gestational diabetes. With her second pregnancy, she was rushed to the ER with toxemia. Her OB knew of her history because he treated her during her second pregnancy. When Susanna discovered she was pregnant for the third time, she was concerned because she knew she was a high-risk patient. But when a high-risk doctor contacted her OB and offered to help, her OB told the other doctor that he could handle it. That decision proved to be life-altering for Susanna and her baby Laylianna Medina.
With her baby at 36 weeks, Susanna arrived for her routine doctor’s appointment. She was nauseous, lightheaded, and had high blood pressure. Her doctor didn’t check her blood sugar but proceeded to put her on a medication for diabetes. Her OB told her that he wasn’t supposed to tell her this but he recommended that she not take her blood pressure medicine before her next visit. If she followed his advice, he could rush her in for an emergency c-section with an elevated blood pressure. Susanna followed her doctor’s orders and did not take her blood pressure medicine before her next appointment. Her blood pressure reading at the appointment was 164/116. Her OB told her that her blood pressure was extremely high, he spent 15 minutes with her, and then informed her that he was going to send her to the hospital for an emergency c-section. Susanna had to ask the doctor to check to see if her baby was okay. Instead of calling an ambulance or sending her directly to the hospital, Susanna’s doctor told her to meet him at the hospital later that afternoon. Susanna arrived at the hospital on time. She was experiencing an extremely strong contraction. When the staff set her up on the monitor, they could not find her daughter’s heartbeat. They brought in an ultrasound machine and a doctor but still no heartbeat.
Susanna’s doctor arrived 10 minutes later. She could hear the nurses yelling at him asking the doctor why he did not send Susanna to the hospital immediately. He couldn’t find the baby’s heartbeat either. He told her “I’m sorry there’s no heartbeat.” He then proceeded to leave her to deliver another baby.
When her OB finally delivered her, Susanna’s daughter Laylianna was stillborn and weighed 9 pounds and 5 ounces. He told Susanna that meconium in the amniotic fluid was the cause of death. Her nurse told her that was not true. There was no meconium. Her baby was left dead inside the womb for over 5 hours leaving the baby very swollen. After the delivery, Susanna began to hemorrhage, and her OB would not come to the hospital. He did not see her before she was discharged. Two days later, Susanna returned to the hospital with a severe kidney infection. She was released from the hospital a day before her daughter Laylianna’s memorial viewing.
Susanna believes that had her doctor not told her to discontinue her blood pressure medication and sent her directly to the hospital for an emergency c-section that Laylianna would be alive today. At the time of her daughter’s death, she was in despair. She was unable to take any action concerning Laylianna’s passing. She was later put in touch with Consumer Watchdog and received help filing a consumer complaint with the Osteopathic Medical Board of California. Her daughter’s death complaint was referred to investigation. In April 2024 the Osteopathic Medical Board and the Attorney General’s office filed an accusation against the doctor’s license that includes charges in Laylianna’s death complaint along with the complaints of two other mothers that suffered lifelong harm by the same doctor.
