Newborn baby 'failed' by hospital staff - parents

A couple whose newborn baby was starved of oxygen during labour have told a coroner's court she was "failed by those looking after her".

An inquest is being held into the death of Emmy Russo, who was born at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, in January 2024 and died at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge three days later.

Daniel and Bryony Russo told the inquest there had been "so many warning signs" about their daughter's condition and her death had been "so avoidable and so preventable".

One of the midwives involved in their care said she thought about Emmy "every single day" and passed her condolences to the couple before giving evidence.

In a statement read out to Essex Coroner's Court, Mr Russo said the couple were "laughed off" when they asked for a C-section during labour on 9 January 2024.

"We were repeatedly dismissed with a tone that said 'it's all ok, just relax'," he said.

Mrs Russo had been classified as low-risk during pregnancy and had not experienced any serious complications before labour.

Mrs Russo told the inquest she felt her baby "wasn't going to come out" during labour and she knew something was wrong, which she had repeatedly told staff.

Mr and Mrs Russo said they had also raised concerns about the presence of meconium in Mrs Russo's waters, and could not understand why staff members seemed "quite relaxed" after a sudden drop in the baby's heart rate.

The 32-year-old eventually ended up having an emergency caesarean after foetal monitoring results were reviewed again around 21:00 GMT.

After Emmy was born, no heart beat could be detected and she had to be resuscitated before being transferred to Addenbrooke's.

An MRI scan there revealed she had severe brain damage and she died on 12 January.

A post-mortem examination found she died from acute hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, a brain injury caused by lack of oxygen and blood flow, and placental disfunction.

Mrs Russo told the inquest she felt an earlier induction or C-section would have resulted in Emmy surviving as a "happy, healthy baby".

Emily Day, a midwife at Princess Alexandra Hospital who was involved with the couple's care for about four hours, told the inquest how an abdominal CTG (cardiotocography) belt was placed on Mrs Russo's stomach to constantly monitor the baby's heart rate and movements.

She said she had tried to reassure Mr and Mrs Russo and said the hospital had "the right team", while ensuring Mrs Russo could have the epidural she had requested multiple times.

When asked by Thea Wilson, assistant coroner for Essex, whether anything had changed for her as a result of Emmy's death, Ms Day replied: "I've taken quite a few things from this case, I'd say I think about it every single day."

She added that she had become "more confident about escalating my concerns" as a result of what happened, and had become more aware of potential signs of infection.

A number of other midwives, consultants and other clinicians are due to give evidence at the inquest.

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