Deceased baby, Bonnie Strachan, mortifyingly turned into a laughing stock for UK midwives, as they joked about "selling tickets" during her mother's vaginal breech delivery, which is generally rare.
Emma Strachan gave birth to Bonnie on Jan. 24, 2015 at the Ipswich Hospital. Unfortunately, the little girl died after being delivered in an intensely poor state, with her feet instead of the head born first.
Together with husband James, the couple from Framlingham, Suffolk claimed that Bonnie's feet were left hanging for a good number of minutes before the rest of her body was delivered.
According to the 29-year-old mother, who also has toddler son, the overall vibe inside the delivery room was too relaxed. "It was a jovial atmosphere," she recalled. As she looked back to that moment, she said that she was left alone for a couple of times while the people around her were nonchalant and cordial.
Emma said the staff inside also looked underprepared, without the right size forceps available at hand. The Strachan couple was also told that most delivery attendants lack the experience in handling vaginal breech deliveries because in the UK, such cases are subjected to a cesarean section birth. Emma also claimed that the registrar in charge of her care, who panicked later into the delivery process, has only been able to assist in two breech deliveries in the past.
When Bonnie was finally able to be delivered fully, she was brought to the resuscitation table, where the doctors tried to revive her for 29 minutes. Born "pale and floppy," the baby eventually ran out of oxygen and died. As per Zoe Mead, a pediatric pathologist, Bonnie was found to have exhibited signs of asphyxia or suffocation and hypoxia or lack of oxygen.
The bereaved parents had also been informed after the delivery that Bonnie's weight was heavier than average, which opposed the prenatal claims that she was of average size. Together with the breech presentation, these factors might have influenced the unsuccessful birth.
Prior to the delivery, the couple also considered engaging in a procedure that would turn the baby's position. However, as per a consultant's recommendation, they opted not to pursue it due to the entailed risks and low success chances. Nonetheless, Emma said they feel like they were not correctly informed of the risks of vaginal breech delivery.
According to Suzanne Kelly, a midwife, she was aware that a consultant must be present during such cases, as per hospital protocols. However, the consultant had not arrived after three phone calls.
The Strachan family has called for the help of medical negligence law firm Irwin Mitchell for representation services.
The findings of the inquest are set to be released on Wednesday, Sept. 30 by coroner Peter Dean.
Photo: David J Laporte | Flickr
