An inquest has heard how a newborn baby died after a “prolonged and extended instrumental delivery”, despite his mother repeatedly asking for a C-section.
Now a senior coroner has said the hospital’s actions could have been motivated by financial considerations.
Kristian Jaworski died just five days after he was born at North Middlesex University Hospital in June 2015.
The birth did not progress well and after a long labour doctors tried to deliver Kristian in theatre, firstly with a suction cup and secondly with forceps. When this failed an emergency caesarean section was performed under general anaesthetic.
Sadly by this stage he had been deprived of oxygen for too long. He suffered severe brain damage, from which he died five days later.
An inquest into his death has heard how his mother, Tracey Taylor, repeatedly told medical staff that she needed a C-section because she had experienced complications during the birth of her first son in 2011.
At the time, doctors had told her that she had a narrow birth canal and should avoid a vaginal birth in the future.
“I was treated like an over-anxious woman”
However, this information was not recorded. Despite relaying the information to doctors and midwives, her pleas were continually ignored. Speaking on BBC Radio 4, she said:
“I feel like I was treated like an over-anxious woman who was too frightened to give birth. I went in there with a reason which is something that a woman wouldn’t just make up. I was told I had a narrow birth canal.”
Andrew Walker, the senior coroner who oversaw the inquest, has sent a report to the Department of Health saying the hospital appeared to favour a vaginal delivery for financial reasons.
According to the Department of Health, the average cost of a vaginal delivery is £1,985, whereas the average cost of a caesarean section is £3,781.
Mr Walker has warned that more babies will die if the NHS continues to ration caesarean sections due to the cost. He described it as a problem that “needed to be rebutted”.
The hospital has denied that cost was a factor, but has accepted liability.
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