Three meetings with medical personnel about the birth of a severely disabled boy at the National Maternity Hospital almost seven years ago were secretly taperecorded, it was claimed by counsel for the hospital in the High Court yesterday.
Mrs Avril Gallagher, the mother of the boy who is suing the hospital for negligence, said she had no recollection of meetings involving herself, her husband and hospital personnel being recorded.
She was being cross-examined on the third day of the action by her son, Blaise, who is quadraplegic and has cerebral palsy. The defendants are obstetrician Dr Joseph Stanley and the NMH, of Holles Street, Dublin, where Blaise was born on April 27th, 1992. Both have denied negligence.
Mr Sean Ryan SC, for the hospital, said three meetings had been secretly tape-recorded and asked Mrs Gallagher if there had been any discussion or arrangement whereby the meetings would be taped.
Mrs Gallagher (38), of Moneystown, Roundwood, Co Wicklow, said she did not remember. She had nightmares and flashbacks following Blaise's birth and did not recollect what followed. She did not know how long Blaise had been in Holles Street.
Mr Ryan put it that Blaise had gone home in July and that during that period there had been "some very stormy episodes." Mrs Gallagher said that at one stage they had been asked to organise a burial for him.
Counsel said the nurses did not agree with Mrs Gallagher's description of what had happened in the hospital.
Mr Ryan asked whether Mrs Gallagher had had a meeting with the Master of the hospital, Dr Peter Boylan, on May 4th, the day after she left hospital.
Mrs Gallagher said she remembered going with her husband to see Dr Boylan but did not remember the contents of the meeting.
Mr Ryan said that meeting had been tape-recorded. He did not know specifically whether it was recorded by Mr or Mrs Gallagher.
Mrs Gallagher said she did not bring in a tape recorder. She remembered crying at the meeting. Those days were very confusing.
Counsel said the defence had eventually got a transcript of the meeting.
Mr Ryan also asked Mrs Gallagher about a tape-recording of a meeting by the Gallaghers with a paediatrician, Dr Niall O'Brien. He said his side had been furnished with a transcript.
Mrs Gallagher said that following Blaise's birth she was very distressed. She did not recall a tape-recording. Her recollection of what had happened in Holles Street was very fresh.
She agreed she went into the NMH for monitoring at about 5 a.m. on Saturday, April 25th, 1992. Her recollection was that she met a named midwife for the first time when that woman brought a tray of tea into her ward that evening.
She did not recall the midwife doing a check-up around her ward prior to that, but agreed that could have happened.
She had a comfortable night that night but read a lot and did not sleep much. Mr Ryan said the hospital notes recorded she slept well. Mrs Gallagher repeated she had a comfortable night and had no pain.
She told a young nurse sometime before Glenroe was on television the following night that there was a gush of fluid from her on to the floor when she had gone to the toilet just minutes beforehand, and there was also a discharge on her sanitary pad. The nurse put the pad in the bin and said it was all right to have a shower.
Mrs Gallagher said she had no discharge prior to that and thought it was of very important significance.
She understood she told the midwife during the night she was experiencing twinges like electrical impulses. Later she told her the timings of her pains and on a later occasion went back and told her the pains were worse.
Mrs Gallagher said she was upset at that stage and asked the midwife to telephone Dr Stanley and her husband. She then had a rectal examination.
She agreed it was possible the midwife could have told her to tell the nursing staff if the pains changed, got worse or continued. She had no recollection of that.
She went back to bed and timed the pains again. A nurse may have said to her that when the times were more regular she should go back to her.
Mrs Gallagher said that a nurse told the patients in her ward she had a lot of paperwork to do and she did not want to hear "a squeak" out of them.
Counsel said the nurse would say she had no more paper work to do than on any other night, and that it made no difference that she was at the end of a shift.
Earlier, under cross-examination by Mr Murray McGrath SC, for Dr Stanley, Mrs Gallagher said she had a meeting with him in the hospital on April 25th, 1992, the day she was admitted. Dr Stanley saw her again on April 26th and examined her.
She said Dr Stanley said she had a fine, healthy, big baby and to stay quiet for five to seven days and he would do a Caesarean section. He said he had lots of time and lots of options. She felt safe in the hands of Dr Stanley.
At a certain stage she asked a midwife to phone her husband. She requested that Dr Stanley be let known as she was in labour.
In the operating theatre later, she asked where he was and he said: "I'm here."
Counsel suggested that Mrs Gallagher was not quite accurate about the number of visits she had from Dr Stanley. He would say he visited her the day after Blaise's birth and the following day.
Mrs Gallagher said she did not recall. Counsel said he visited her on May 2nd or 3rd.
The hearing continues today.