Deficient midwives and risky home birth led to baby’s preventable death, coroner rules
A coroner has ruled that a baby’s preventable death was caused by deficient care from two private midwives during a home birth. The coroner stated that the mother’s pregnancy was not suitable for home birth due to previous complications, and timely transfer to a hospital could have saved the infant. The mother, who had a complicated first birth, declined a hospital appointment that could have provided necessary medical oversight.
- ▪The baby, referred to as Baby R, died from perinatal hypoxia after being delivered during an emergency caesarean at Bendigo Hospital.
- ▪The coroner found that the mother’s pregnancy was high risk, making home birth inappropriate.
- ▪Had the mother given birth in a hospital, the coroner believes the baby's death could have been avoided.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Sydney Morning Herald.