Having a baby is such a risky thing to do. Though most survive the endeavor, the truth is that so many things can go wrong in an instant. I remember when I thought it was time to deliver my son, I went to the hospital, and they turned me away, stating I “wasn’t in enough pain to actually be in labor.” When I pushed back, saying that I was hurting, just not screaming, the nurse informed me it could last for days and to “get used to it.”
As the pain got progressively worse throughout the day, I was convinced it still wasn’t enough to go to the hospital. By 9 p.m. that night, I made my husband take me back, and thank goodness I did because I was actually 6 centimeters dilated. The way I was dismissed earlier nearly made me second-guess my instincts and really made me feel unsupported. I could see how a tough first experience could lead to a mom being extra cautious about the second.
Unfortunately for UK mom Jennifer Cahill, 34, her unsupportive first birthing experience rattled her enough to want to give birth at home the second time — and it ultimately ended up costing her and her baby their lives. The mom of one, a 3-year-old named Rudy, had just her husband, Robert Cahill, and two midwives present during the home delivery. Her pain medication began wearing off, and she became extremely fatigued and, according to her husband, “lost confidence.”
The canister and tube supplying her with air and gas failed, so one of the midwives had to leave to grab another. When their daughter Agnes arrived at 6:45 a.m., the midwives encouraged the father to call an ambulance because the baby needed additional support. She died in the hospital days after her birth.
While Agnes was at the hospital, Jennifer’s health deteriorated at home, and she was brought to the same hospital. She died a few hours later, a day after giving birth to her daughter.
The grieving father and husband repeatedly broke down, according to the Daily Mail, while detailing the events during the inquest.
“I held her and told her stories about her mother, who never got to hold her or say goodbye to her or Rudy,” he recalled. “Nothing can be done now to reverse these awful facts.”
During her first birth, Jennifer suffered a postpartum hemorrhage and was advised to give birth in a hospital for her second. Robert stated that no one fully explained the risks to them.
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, acknowledged that she should have been referred to a senior midwife upon deciding on a home birth so she was made fully aware of the risks.
One of the midwives on her case, Andrea Walmsley, noted that her birth plan took her by surprise, according to the Manchester Evening News.
“This is the most intense birth file that I have ever read,” Walmsley told the outlet. “I never said anything to [my colleague] Julie, I just looked at her when I read it.”
She alleges Jennifer refused specific medication and observations, including a syntometrine injection, which would have prevented excessive bleeding.
