A Long Island couple is calling for accountability after they say a traumatic childbirth experience at Katz Women’s Hospital left their newborn son requiring medical follow-up and their family emotionally shaken.
Leanna and Paul Rudolph said they arrived at the hospital around 2:15 a.m. on Valentine’s Day, expecting the routine birth of their second child.
Instead, they say they waited about an hour for a room while Leanna repeatedly reported severe pain and bleeding.
‘No one came to check me’
According to Leanna Rudolph, her concerns were dismissed despite clear signs that she was in active labor.
“I’m telling you, I’m in the bathroom bleeding. No one came to check me,” she told ABC7NY. “They said I was fine.”
She said her condition worsened while she was in a triage room bathroom, where her water broke and she began delivering the baby before staff arrived.
Paul Rudolph said their son, Preston, fell headfirst onto the bathroom floor as they called for help, adding that it took several minutes for nurses to respond.
Baby born amid chaos
The baby was delivered shortly afterward, but the couple says the experience has had lasting consequences.
Since the birth, Preston has undergone follow-up appointments with a neurologist, leaving the parents focused on monitoring his health rather than settling into the typical newborn phase.
“We’re supposed to be figuring out feedings and routines,” Paul said. “Instead, we’re trying to figure out if he’s OK.”
Hospital response
In a statement, Katz Women’s Hospital said patients in labor and delivery are triaged based on medical urgency and that any reports of patients feeling unheard are taken seriously.
Hospital officials said concerns of this nature would typically prompt an internal review but declined to comment on the specific case.
Calls for accountability
The Rudolphs say they want the hospital to acknowledge what happened and improve staff training to prevent similar incidents.
“No woman should have a child in a hospital bathroom by herself,” Leanna said.
The couple says their goal in speaking publicly is to ensure other families do not experience similar trauma during childbirth.
Medical safety advocates note that timely assessment and response during labor are critical to preventing complications for both mothers and newborns.
