Settlement obtained for the mother of a stillborn baby after numerous failures

Medical Negligence specialist, Amanda Cavanagh, has obtained a five-figure settlement for Ms B, a mother whose baby was stillborn as a result of numerous failures during her pregnancy.

She was not properly monitored in light of her high blood pressure.

Ms B was over her expected due date and had reported a reduction in foetal movements. She was classed as low-risk and was not monitored or led by obstetric care.

During her labour, the midwifery-led care was not reflective of her risk factors or care pathway, meaning that her risk factors were normalised. But for this failure, Ms B would have received earlier obstetric care, which would have had an impact on the outcome.

There were failures to identify and escalate a repeated loss of contact with the baby’s heartbeat and there were failures to deploy a Fetal Scalp Electrode. Had this happened, the reduction in the baby’s heart rate would have prompted an earlier transfer to theatre and emergency delivery.

Sadly, by the time transfer to theatre was made, the baby had suffered a hypoxic event leading to death during the second stage of labour. Had the drop in fetal heart rate been identified and emergency delivery taken place, then the baby would have been born alive and intact.

Amanda Cavanagh comments: “My client and her partner were left distraught. They suffered mental anguish over the unnecessary death of their baby. In securing a settlement, although it would not go anyway near to compensate them for their loss, I hope that in some way I have managed to alleviate a little of the pain and anger they understandably felt as a result of their loss.”