Susan Burton

This week features Susan Burton, a longtime producer and editor, alongside labor and delivery nurses Mindy Figueroa and Clara Hochhauser, who’s also a patient delivering twins. They discuss the emotional journey of childbirth, navigating unexpected complications like Clara's emergency C-section, where anesthesia fails. Heather Nixon, head of obstetric anesthesia, confronts the harsh reality of pain management in surgeries, advocating for systemic changes to improve patient care. Their stories blend heartbreak and hope, revealing the intimate challenges in the world of childbirth.

Susan Burton, a veteran at "This American Life" and author of the memoir “Empty,” leads a deep dive into the harrowing experiences of women at the Yale Fertility Center. She discusses the shocking revelation of drug diversion, where fentanyl was replaced with saline, exposing serious flaws in patient care. Personal stories reveal the intense pain and emotional turmoil faced during egg retrieval procedures. Burton sheds light on the broader implications of trust and ethics in healthcare, emphasizing the critical need for women's voices to be heard and valued.

The patients in this story came to the Yale Fertility Center to pursue pregnancy. They began their I.V.F. cycles full of expectation and hope. Then a surgical procedure called egg retrieval caused them excruciating pain.Some of the patients screamed out in the procedure room. Others called the clinic from home to report pain in the hours that followed. But most of the staff members who fielded the patients’ reports did not know the real reason for the pain, which was that a nurse at the clinic was stealing fentanyl, and replacing it with saline.From Serial Productions and The New York Times, The Retrievals is a five-part narrative series reported by Susan Burton, a veteran staff member at “This American Life” and author of the memoir “Empty.”Susan details the events that unfolded at the clinic, and examines how the patients’ distinct identities informed the way they made sense of what happened to them in the procedure room. The nurse, too, has her own story, about her own pain, that she tells to the court. And then there is the story of how this all could have happened at the Yale clinic in the first place.Throughout, Burton explores the stories we tell about women’s pain. How do we tolerate, interpret and account for it? What happens when pain is minimized or dismissed?  To get full access to this show, and to other Serial Productions and New York Times podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, subscribe at nytimes.com/podcasts.To find out about new shows from Serial Productions, and get a look behind the scenes, sign up for our newsletter at nytimes.com/serialnewsletter.Have a story pitch, a tip, or feedback on our shows? Email us at serialshows@nytimes.com 

Susan Burton, a seasoned producer and editor known for her work on The Retrievals, joins labor and delivery nurses Mindy Figueroa and Clara Hochhauser from UI Health, along with Heather Nixon, head of obstetric anesthesia. They dive into the emotional and painful realities of cesarean sections, highlighting Clara's traumatic experience of feeling surgery despite anesthesia failures. Heather challenges the medical community to address pain management inadequacies during childbirth, stressing the need for systemic change in healthcare to improve women's experiences.

Susan Burton, a powerful advocate for formerly incarcerated women, shares her incredible journey from addiction and incarceration to empowerment. She discusses her traumatic childhood and the struggles of young motherhood, revealing the systemic failures that affect women in the justice system. Burton highlights the importance of community support for reintegration and the transformative power of shared experiences. Her commitment to activism shines through as she emphasizes the need for shelters and programs that cater specifically to the challenges women face post-incarceration.