Our Story

Brooke’s Story

On January 20, 2023, Brooke Shandloff Fernandez died at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans at the age of 37, just hours after giving birth, due to the extreme negligence of the medical providers in charge of her care.

Brooke had a healthy pregnancy and chose a hospital with a Level III NICU for her delivery. A few days after her due date, she consulted with her doctor and decided to get induced. However, things took a turn when complications arose after a prolonged 36-hour induction with Pitocin, causing the baby distress and requiring an emergency C-section.

Tragically, during the delivery, labor complications and the negligent acts and inaction of Brooke’s medical providers led to severe postpartum hemorrhaging. Brooke died within hours of her baby’s birth. The cause of death was initially represented to us by the doctors as Amniotic Fluid Embolism (AFE), but our family made the tough decision to obtain an independent autopsy, given what was witnessed during the birth process. The independent autopsy revealed that negligence and a series of medical errors were the causes of Brooke’s death. These included issues with:

Prolonged Pitocin administration, causing uterine atony and
Inadequate care from multiple healthcare providers, including physicians, nurses, and anesthesiologists.

These errors are confirmed by Brooke’s medical records and a Statement of Deficiencies prepared by Louisiana’s Department of Health and Human Services.

Our Story

We want to try our very best to prevent this from happening to others. We have created the Brooke Shandloff Fernandez Memorial Foundation to raise awareness about the maternal health and maternal mortality crisis in the United States. Our mission is to advocate for systemic change and support those who are tirelessly fighting for improved maternal health outcomes. We seek to do this in the following ways:

Seek accountability for Providers
Call for Change in Louisiana
Raise Awareness of the Maternal Mortality Crisis
Address Systemic Issues in Maternal Healthcare
Educate and Empower Expecting Parents

Organizations We Support

We support the following incredible organizations focused on improving maternal health, reducing maternal mortality, and those providing camp programs for kids grieving the loss of a parent or caretaker, helping them find community, healing, and hope.

March of Dimes

It’s the March of Dimes’ mission to lead the fight for the health of all moms and babies. Their goals are to end the preventable maternal health risks and deaths, end preventable preterm birth and infant death, and close the health equity gap

4Kira4Moms

At 4Kira4Moms, they are on a mission to advocate for improved maternal health policies and regulations, to educate the public about the impact of maternal mortality in communities, provide peer support to victims’ families, and promote the idea that maternal mortality should be viewed, and discussed as a human rights issue.

Experience Camps

Experience Camps is an award-winning national nonprofit that transforms the lives of grieving children through summer camp programs and innovative, year-round initiatives. Through compassion, connection, and play, we allow grieving children to embody a life full of hope and possibility. By amplifying their voices, we are creating a more grief-sensitive culture.

Every Mother Counts

Founded by Christy Turlington, their mission is to ensure that the maternal health journey before, during, and after childbirth is safe, respectful, and equitable for everyone, everywhere.