Families file lawsuit for 'mismanaged' labor and delivery

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Tatyana Phillips never imagined she would have to talk about her baby boy's death.

"I have nightmares regularly so I don't get any sleep, sometimes I stay awake for days at a time," said the young woman through tears.

On Friday, Phillips sat in the office of her attorney, and recounted that how last fall, her baby boy lived for just minutes after being born. What's even more heartbreaking, she said, is that her story isn't unique.

"At home, my son struggles daily with potty training, completing sentences, and he walks on his toes," said Jessica Bonura, another young woman seated next to Phillips. Bonura's son was born in 2012 after a difficult labor and delivery.

He will always have special needs.

Then there is Stephanie Garcia, whose baby survives on a feeding tube, and must be under constant care.

"After my son was born it was obvious that my son wasn't breathing and he was blue," recounted Garcia.

All three moms gave birth at East Houston Regional Medical Center over the past four years. All three were also patients of Dr. June Colman. On Friday, the three moms filed suit alleging malpractice by the doctor, hospital and staff.

"All three of these families went to this doctor and this hospital to have their babies delivered," said the women's attorney Mo Aziz. "They were healthy pregnancies; there was no reason for this to happen."

Aziz pointed out all three moms involved were young and healthy. He said they all had normal pregnancies and the complications only arose after they arrived at the hospital to deliver their babies.

Dr. Colman was previously disciplined by the Texas Medical Board for allegedly failing to meet the standard of care in three patients. Those patients have not been named. She wasn't home when Eyewitness News stopped by to try and talk to her. Her attorney did not return a call for comment.

The East Houston Regional Medical Center released the following statement:

"Complications affecting newborns are tragic situations, and we extend our deepest sympathies to the families involved. We believe in the legal process, and while our hearts go out to these families over all they've been through, we dispute the allegations presented today, and we look forward to all the facts emerging as the legal process allows."

For Tatyana Phillips, the pain of her loss remains devastating.

"I didn't even get to hear him cry. I went to the hospital with a child, and left without one," she added.