Mum says baby's death at hospital 24 hours after birth could have been prevented

Emma Owen, a 22-year-old mother whose new-born son tragically passed away hours after birth, believes that her child’s death could have been avoided if the hospital had proper protocols in place to identify complications.

Emma courageously shares her story following a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) which determined that the deaths of three other new-borns at a Lanarkshire hospital were preventable. The inquiry concluded that these tragedies could have been averted if the mothers had received adequate healthcare in the days leading up to their births and subsequent deaths.

The sheriff overseeing the investigation made 11 recommendations in light of the findings, including the establishment of a ‘trigger list’ to detect and evaluate early labour symptoms, as well as guidelines on when women should seek clinical assessment.

Emma’s son Owen sadly died less than 24 hours after his birth at Wishaw General Hospital on July 1, 2023. In the week preceding his death, Emma, already a mother of two, visited the hospital’s maternity unit four times with symptoms such as a headache, swelling, and general illness.

At the time, she was 35 weeks pregnant and was sent home each time with only pain relief. It wasn’t until the pain became so unbearable that Emma couldn’t sit or lie down that she and her partner, Joe Turner, returned to the hospital and insisted on being properly examined, reports the Daily Record.

Following medical examinations, it was discovered that Emma had experienced a placenta abruption – a condition where the placenta detaches from the uterus before childbirth. She was swiftly taken into surgery, where doctors performed an emergency C-section, but sadly, little Owen passed away.

Recounting the heart-wrenching ordeal, Emma, hailing from Hamilton, shared with the Record: “I knew something wasn’t right so I went to the hospital and they sent me home with co-codamol. The headache never went away so I went back again the next day and they sent me home again.

“I knew something wasn’t right so I returned three days later. By then, my headache had significantly worsened. I kept insisting something wasn’t right and they eventually found protein in my urine.

“They were planning to admit me but at the last minute, they discharged me again. I was sent home with dihydrocodeine even though the other painkillers weren’t having any effect.

“When I began experiencing contractions, I assumed they had just started early, I didn’t know any different as it was my first pregnancy. The pain became so unbearable that I couldn’t sit or lie down, so we rushed back to the hospital.

“A doctor examined my abdomen and suspected I had a placenta abruption. This had been happening throughout the week and had been overlooked four times. I exhibited all the symptoms of a placenta abruption but each time I was dismissed.”

Owen was critically ill from birth, enduring a lack of oxygen during and just after delivery. The heart-wrenching decision to switch off his life support was made, leading to his passing on July 2, 2023.

Emma shared her grief: “Losing Owen broke our hearts. It made us depressed and angry at the world. We put our trust into doctors and midwives but they did us wrong. I wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone.”

The investigation also pinpointed multiple systemic failures and missed safety measures that could have averted these premature deaths among NHS patients.

Emma is convinced that had the recommendations from the recent Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) into the deaths of three other infants been implemented sooner, they might have saved Owen’s life.

The inquiry also delved into the death of Leo Lamont, who died at Monklands Hospital on February 15, 2019.

It further scrutinised the events surrounding the deaths of Ellie McCormick at Wishaw General on March 5, 2019, and Mira-Belle Bosch at the same hospital on July 2, 2021.

In a situation echoing Emma’s, Leo died following a placental abruption suffered by his mother, Nadine Rooney, hours after she sought medical help for back pain at University Hospital Monklands.

Ellie’s mother, Nicola McCormick, had experienced episodes of bleeding and diminished fetal movement.

On the day before Ellie was born, Nicola contacted the maternity unit at Wishaw General Hospital to report contractions. She was told to take painkillers and to call back if she felt she was ‘not coping’.

Mira-Belle Bosch had contacted the maternity unit at Wishaw General Hospital, reporting that her waters broke and she was having contractions. She was instructed to come in for assessment and subsequently sent home with guidance.

On the following day, she reached out to the maternity unit again due to contractions. At that point, claiming comfort at home without concerns, she was advised to stay put.

Emma lamented: “There will always be ifs and buts in our minds because we know Owen’s death could have been prevented. If there had been proper earlier healthcare and intervention, I 100% believe he could still be here.

“To know the health board had multiple baby losses before we lost Owen is appalling. If they had the recommendations set out in the FAI in place already, then we wouldn’t be grieving the loss of our children today.

“Training should be in place to understand what an abruption is and what the symptoms are around it. As well as other losses of care. It’s horrible to think somebody else went through this before me and that they didn’t ever fix it, which led to more grief and heartbreak.”

NHS Lanarkshire has been contacted for comment.