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Home birth deaths probe

Home birth deaths probe

A woman whose baby died nine days after he was delivered at home not breathing and without a heartbeat had been warned by an obstetrician that complications during the delivery of her first child made the prospect of a home birth too risky, an inquest was told today.

The case is one of three baby deaths linked to home births being investigated by Coroner Sarah Linton during joint inquests in a bid to consider ways to prevent similar tragedies.

Opening the nine-day hearing, counsel assisting Kate Ellson said the purpose of the three inquests, which have suppressed the identification of the babies and their parents, was not to lay blame or suggest that home birthing was a dangerous choice for every expectant mother.

“The primary purpose of each of these inquests is to clarify the circumstances in which each of the three children died.

"In doing so, this court will necessarily consider ways in which deaths like Baby C’s, B’s and P’s can be prevented and will consider ways the current health system already operates to support home birthing, so as to ensure it continues to do so in a safe and considered way.”

Ms Ellson said Baby B’s mother had foetal complications during the 2006 birth of her first child.

The mother had wanted a home birth and contacted the Community Midwifery Program, the publicly funded service which provides out of hospital care for women who want to give birth at home.

Ms Ellson said the woman had not seen an obstetrician until she was 31 weeks pregnant. He had discussed with her his view that a home birth was too high a risk and expressed his opinion in her Community Midwifery Program notes.

She said the obstetrician had also written to her primary midwife, Michelle Benn, indicating he wanted her to call him to discuss the woman’s birth plan.

Ms Ellson said for reasons to be clarified, neither Ms Benn, a back-up midwife nor acting program manager Corrine Andrew had contacted the obstetrician as requested.

Ms Ellson said in the case of Baby P, his parents had been advised they were not eligible for home birth support from the Community Midwifery Program because the mother was pregnant with twins.

When the couple could not find a private midwife to assist in WA, they flew in unregistered midwife Lisa Barrett to assist.

One of the twins, born at home on July 3, 2011, did not appear to be breathing or have a heart rate and his resuscitation was stopped in hospital just an hour after he was delivered.

Ms Ellson told the court that in the third case, Baby C was born at home after a 40-hour labour and started having difficulty breathing within 30 minutes. She said Baby C was pronounced dead at hospital less than three hours later and a post-mortem found he had a streptococcal infection.