Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark "Pitocin Gave My Daughter Brain Damage": The Risks Moms Should Know | Katie Spinks
Mar 17, 2026
Katie Spinks, a mother, doula, and birth-injury advocate, shares her experience after a Pitocin induction led to her daughter’s severe brain injury. She describes induction decisions, lack of informed consent, uterine hyperstimulation, emergency delivery, and lifelong caregiving challenges. The conversation covers preventability, hospital responses, and concrete questions and alternatives parents should know before agreeing to induction.
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Pushing Turned A Small Rupture Into A Complete Tear
- After rupture began small, the doctor instructed Katie to push which turned a small defect into a complete tear, cutting off Jolene's oxygen.
- The baby’s heart rate dropped into the 40s–60s and vacuum attempts failed before Katie passed out from internal bleeding.
Baby Born Flat Then Treated With Therapeutic Cooling
- Jolene was born without a pulse and not breathing; NICU performed CPR, epinephrine, umbilical lines, and therapeutic hypothermia.
- Katie woke in recovery while her daughter was immediately transported to a specialty hospital for cooling.
Medical Notes Can Erase Evidence Of Negligence
- Hospital documentation often contradicts patient experience, making malpractice suits hard because records minimize adverse events.
- Katie's records underreported vacuum attempts and pain levels, erasing evidence needed for legal accountability.