Eliza Abbaszadeh, 31, says she and her husband were forced to deliver their own stillborn baby at Montreal's Royal Victoria Hospital. (CBC)

Officials at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal say they're sorry a couple was left alone in a hospital room to deliver their own stillborn baby.

The apology came Thursday, after the couple went public with their story.

Eliza Abbaszadeh, 31, said she went to the hospital 12 days ago when she started experiencing abdominal pain just 15 weeks into her pregnancy. She said she waited three hours in the emergency room before a doctor told her the fetus had died, and sent her home.

The next day, Abbaszadeh’s water broke and she went back to the hospital with her husband, knowing she would miscarry her baby.

Abbaszadeh said they were placed in a room and were stunned at what happened next.

“Nobody came, even to check us. I delivered the baby, the dead baby alone, just in the presence of my husband. And he was the one who was cleaning all the blood,” said Abbaszadeh.

Ann Lynch, spokeswoman for Royal Victoria Hospital’s clinical operations, said she is sorry for the stress the couple went through and confirmed an investigation is underway to find out why the couple was left alone.

“Every patient that comes through, we should provide not only the physical care that is required, but also the psychological care. Although we do admit that emergency rooms are very busy environments... I don't want to use the emergency room as a very busy place to say that the care the patient receives does not feel comforting to them,” said Lynch.

Quebec’s Health Minister Yves Bolduc admitted Thursday hospital emergency rooms are short-staffed.

“If you have a patient who arrives with a heart attack, at this moment it will be the priority of the emergency [room],” said Bolduc.

Lynch said hospital staff would meet with the couple next week once the investigation is completed.