Mother asked to say hospital was safe just days after baby died, inquest told

Bosses at Cavan General Hospital asked a mother to support a statement saying how safe the hospital was just days after her baby died there, an inquest has been told.

Siobhán Whelan said she refused the request, as she was concerned that two babies, including her son Conor, had died in the hospital in the space of two weeks.

Ms Whelan told the inquest of her devastation at not being able to cuddle or care for Conor following his death a day after being born at the hospital over two years ago.

Conor was born on May 13th, 2014 following an emergency caesarean, but died after 17 hours. He suffered a brain injury caused by an abnormality of the placenta known as vasa previa, where blood vessels block the entrance to the birth canal.

Ms Whelan and her husband, from Ballyjamesduff, say their son died after her membranes were ruptured against her will and following a delay in carrying out the section. The hospital says baby Conor lost over half his blood before his mother’s membranes were ruptured.

Ms Whelan told the inquest she had serious questions about what happened to Conor and expressed the hope that significant lessons would be learned to avoid a repeat. There were lots of markers for vasa previa, but she had “fallen through the cracks”. She said this wouldn’t happen if all pregnant women were given a 20-week scan and proper checks where warning signs exist.

She said she didn’t want to see Cavan hospital lose services, but it had to be “fully functioning and resourced”.

Ms Whelan said she attended for a scan in March 2014, and a low-lying placenta was suspected. She was told it was likely she would have an elective caesarean. She was told her consultant would perform his own scan but this never happened. At every clinic visit, she said she asked staff to check her placenta but was told not to worry. On one occasion she was told, “are you still going on about that”.

On May 13th, when she was nine days overdue, she began to experience contractions and headed to the hospital with her husband. While she was fine on arrival, on walking to the labour ward, she felt what she thought was her waters breaking. She saw blood trickling down her leg and called for help. In the ward, a vaginal examination was carried out and more bleeding followed.

Mr Whelan begged staff to act quickly, reminding them that another baby had died in the hospital two weeks earlier. “He knew something was not right, but was told everything was okay.”

Ms Whelan said there seemed to be no urgency among staff. She told them she was scared and wanted a section. Consultant obstetrician Dr Rita Mehta arrived, but spent a long time asking the same questions the midwives had asked, she said. Dr Mehta wanted to rupture her membranes but she begged her not to.

Mr Whelan told the inquest there was “too much blood for everything to be okay”.

"I told them, 'this is like Carry On Laughing except it isn't funny. Give her a section'."

He said the medical staff didn’t seem to be operating as a team and at one point “strong words” were exchanged between a midwife and a doctor. After this, there was “pandemonium” and the trolley carrying her ran over a nurse on its way to the operating theatre, Ms Whelan told the inquest.

She said she was terrified she would die. “I was thinking of my two innocent daughters at home, afraid for them that they will have no mammy in the morning.”

The caesarean was carried out before she was fully sedated, despite her husband “throwing himself” across staff to stop this, she claimed.

Conor was born “flat” at 1.49pm, an hour after she arrived at the hospital, and it took 20 minutes to bring him back. Ms Whelan had to undergo life-saving surgery after suffering major bleeding, while her baby was brought to the Rotunda hospital in Dublin.

There, doctors could find no brain activity and it was decided to return him to Cavan to spend his last hours with his mother. He died the following day.

Ms Whelan said she was devastated that she would never be able to cuddle or care for her baby boy and would feel his loss forever. “Had anyone listened to us he would be here today. Nobody did anything until it was too late and that will haunt us forever.”

Several days later, the clinical director at Cavan, Dr Alan Finan, and the manager, Bridget Clarke, came to see her and to explain what had happened. Dr Finan said the condition of vasa previa had contributed to Conor's death and it was "unfortunate" that her membranes had ruptured as this was the baby's lifeline, she said.

That would be like “a tsunami” for him, she was told. Ms Whelan said her membranes hadn’t ruptured “by themselves”; this had happened when Dr Mehta broke her waters against her wishes. She said Dr Finan was so shocked he staggered back against the wall. A long, awkward silence followed. She said Dr Finan had the “cheek” to seek her approval for a press release saying how safe Cavan’s maternity unit was but she refused. “They tiptoed out of the room and that was that.”

Dr Eoin Mooney, a consultant histopathologist called by the hospital, said Conor was severely anaemic, and this was consistent with massive blood loss. He believed this bleeding occurred “substantially” before Ms Whelan’s membranes were ruptured.

Tests on blood found on her shoes showed this had come from Conor rather than his mother. Conor’s blood loss was closely connected to his brain injury, Dr Mooney said.

The inquest continues on Tuesday.