A newborn baby girl died in her father's arms after docs sent her pregnant wife home with constipation

A FATHER recounted how he had desperately tried to save his untimely daughter after giving birth to his wife while she was returned from the hospital to constipation.

The investigation revealed to Jennifer Handy, who was born at 26 weeks, "probably would not be dead" if her mother, Sarah, had been hospitalized.

Media Wales

The doctor who sent Ms. Handy home has since left the country.

Health officials apologized to the Handy family saying that they were "deeply sorry".

Jennifer was one of 26 babies who died during a three-year period, from January 2016 to September 2018, on which the Cwm Taf University Health Council was investigating.

The Pontypridd Coroner's Court learned that Ms. Handy had been admitted to Merthyr Tydfil Prince Charles Hospital on April 9, 2017 with severe abdominal pain.

However, she was told that she was not in work and that she was sent home with painkillers and laxatives.

I helped our baby, Jennifer, to go out. She was out of breath and moved her arms and legs

Papa Jonathan Handy

Ms. Handy, an insulin-dependent diabetic, had already had a miscarriage and was considered a high-risk patient.

She declared to the investigation in a statement that she was losing blood, but a doctor who examined her "reluctantly" stated that this was not unusual at 26 weeks and had stated that the pain was due to constipation.

In the early hours of the next morning, Mrs. Hardy felt obliged to push.

She said in the investigation: "I told Jonathan [my husband] something was wrong and asked if he was going to take a look I lay on the bed and Jonathan said, "Oh my god, I can see the baby's head" .

"I had to be shocked because I was unable to move and I felt weak."

Mr. Handy called for help and called his mother who lived next door, as well as an ambulance.

He said: "Sarah was unconscious and was losing a lot of blood.

"I helped our baby, Jennifer, get out." She was out of breath and moved her arms and legs.

"I tried to release her airwaves and I was advised to do CPR through the ambulance control room that was still on the phone."

Mr. Handy's mother arrived and continued the procedure until the arrival of the ambulance.

The doctor's mistake

Ms. Handy and Jennifer were taken to the hospital, where it was discovered that Sarah had an infection and sepsis. She underwent surgery and when she arrived, she discovered that her daughter had died.

Coroner Rachel Knight made a narrative finding and stated that extreme prematurity was the cause of death.

She stated: "On a balance of probabilities, Jennifer would not have died at 02:02 on April 10.

"I find that the decision not to admit Sarah Handy was a doctor's mistake and contributed to Jennifer's death."

We are always heartbroken and we will never overcome the tragic loss of our daughter.

Practical family

In a statement, the Handy family said that they were "absolutely devastated".

They added, "Today's investigation was exhausting and brought back the horrible details of what we experienced almost two years to the day, which resulted in Jennifer's loss.

"We are always heartbroken and we will never overcome the tragic loss of our daughter.

"As a family, it was very important for us to understand what happened so that lessons could be learned, and we hope that today will be a step forward in this process.

"We also hope that the findings of the Health Board's ongoing review of its maternity services will help improve the care and services provided to patients, so that other families are not as affected as they are. we."

A spokesman for the Cwm Taf Health Council said, "Losing a baby is a devastating experience and we are deeply sorry for the gaps in care and the considerable distress caused to Ms. and Mr. Handy.

"We take our responsibilities for providing safe, high-quality services very seriously and are determined to do everything in our power to ensure that we provide women and families with the best care possible."

Media Wales

Media Wales

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