Nikita Washington, a 35-year-old African American woman from Detroit, died a day after giving birth to her 12th child, Nathaniel, at Harper University Hospital. Patricia Pouncey, her mother, is now raising her 12 grandchildren. Pouncey has taken on a lot of responsibility while still trying to figure out what happened. Her daughter’s baby was delivered safely via cesarean section. She had to be treated for a loose stitch and excessive bleeding after giving birth, however. She was later pronounced dead.
A death certificate from the Wayne County Clerk indicates that Nikita Washington died from “postpartum hemorrhage” and “complications from multiple cesarean sections,” according to CNN. But Pouncey still has unanswered questions about what the doctors did to try to save her.
“I haven’t talked to anyone from the hospital. I have not received anything from them. All I have is the death certificate,” Pouncey said.
Pouncey expressed regret for not accompanying her daughter to the hospital, where she was reportedly being treated for high blood pressure. However, because her daughter’s husband is currently incarcerated, she had to stay at home to care for her other grandchildren at the time.
“I’m worried about every mother,” Pouncey said. “Don’t ever, ever make the mistake that I made, letting your child go (to the hospital) alone. We need to give more attention to what’s going on.”
Moreover, after her daughter’s death, Pouncey is left to raise 12 children, whose oldest is 19 years old and youngest was 3 months. She said they will be able to buy a bigger home and a reliable vehicle, thanks to the donations they received from the GoFundMe their family set up. It has so far received more than $100,000.