PARENTS of a baby who died hours after being delivered by Caesarean section said their lives had been “devastated” by their loss.

Ellie-Mai Flowers died at Southend Hospital in the early hours of April 24, 2012, after being delivered about 13 days late, Essex Coroner’s Court heard at the conclusion of a two-day inquest yesterday.

Born blue and floppy, she was resuscitated six times before her death. A post mortem found she was being deprived of oxygen as much as 12 hours before her birth and was poorly prepared for birth due to an unusually small placenta and delayed maturation – risk factors assistant coroner Michelle Brown said would have been impossible to detect.

Parents Emily Cox and Chris Flowers, both 28, from Rochford, said their lives had been devastated.

In a statement, they said: “We have waited two and a half years to find out how our baby girl died.

“We were so excited when we found out we were having a baby girl and words cannot describe how amazing it felt.

Having a child and our own little family would have made our lives complete.

“We put all our trust in Southend Hospital staff. We feel let down by the hospital and disappointed.

“Our lives have been devastated by Ellie-Mai’s death and we have not been able to put her to rest throughout this long and daunting inquest process.”

Miss Cox had been on labour-inducing drugs for more than five hours without effect before it was decided to perform a Caesarean section, and the coroner expressed her concern the decision was “half-made and it was unclear who made the decision and at what time.”

She also said evidence showed Ellie-Mai had suffered hypoxia, a lack of oxygen to the brain, before she was delivered and that bradycardia – a heart rate of fewer than 60 beats per minute – had not been picked up on, although it was uncertain whether her chances would have increased had it been.

It was followed by a “total exclusion” in the umbilical cord, which meant no blood flowed through it to Ellie-Mai from 10.31pm until her delivery at 10.52pm.

This was not recognised at the time, either, but the coroner said it was also impossible to say whether this would have affected the outcome.

She recorded a narrative verdict.

 

Changes made to midwives

CHANGES to Southend Hospital’s maternity staffing have been welcomed by Ellie- Mai’s parents.

During the inquest, new head of midwifery at Southend Hospital Colleen Begg said she had increased staff on the delivery suite to ensure midwives never divided their time between two women giving birth, as they did when Ellie-Mai was born.

Ellie-Mai’s parents, Chris Flowers and Emily Cox, said they were relieved lessons had been learned, but emphasised it was too late for their child.

They said: “We are glad that changes have now been made at the hospital that should improve staffing levels and ensure that women in labour have a dedicated midwife rather than having to share with another patient.

“However, these changes are too late for our beautiful baby daughter, Ellie-Mai.”

Cheryl Schwarz, acting chief nurse, added: “The trust would once again wish to express its sincere condolences to Ellie-Mai’s parents and family.

“The loss of a baby is understandably devastating for a family and we fully appreciate the inquest has been a difficult time.

“We accept the coroner’s findings in their entirety and will continue to strive to provide the best possible care for our patients.”

 

SUPPORTED BY CHARITY

ELLIE-MAI’S parents were supported by a medical negligence charity during their two-year search for answers.

As there is no legal aid available for inquests, Action against Medical Accidents provided free legal advice, which resulted in Chris Flowers and Emily Cox hiring Attwaters Jameson Hill solicitors.

Speaking after the inquest, Mr Flowers and Miss Cox said in a statement: “Action against Medical Accidents has been a rock to us and supported us through the inquest proceedings.”

The charity’s director of medico-legal services, Lisa O’Dwyer, added: “No amount of investigation will ever compensate for the loss of a loved one, but our inquest service exists to give families a voice where they might otherwise have none.

“We hope that lessons can be learned from Ellie-Mai’s sad death, so that perhaps other families will not suffer as Ellie-Mai’s have done.”