Mother who lost her newborn baby fears her desire for an 'ideal birth' delayed emergency caesarean operation as parents were 'kept waiting for two hours to see a midwife'

  • Jo Meeke and Matt Gurney lost their son Puck within hours of his birth last year
  • The couple from West Sussex had been held up when they arrived at hospital
  • Ms Meeke said she feared her wish for an 'ideal birth' had delayed an operation
  • Puck was delivered by caesarean section but he died in his parents' arms 

A mother who lost her newborn baby after complications during labour told an inquest she feared her desire for an 'ideal birth' had delayed the emergency operation to save him. 

Jo Meeke and Matt Gurney's son Puck died on March 16 last year after the couple had planned for a home birth but went to the hospital as they feared something was wrong.

The couple, of Bosham, West Sussex, said Ms Meeke had enjoyed an 'uncomplicated, dream pregnancy' until their son needed to be resuscitated.

Puck died in their arms at Southampton University Hospital's neo-natal unit the morning after his birth, with his parents given just 30 minutes to say goodbye. 

Baby Puck, pictured while still alive, died in the arms of his parents, Jo Meeke and Matt Gurney, hours after an emergency caesarean operation in Chichester

Baby Puck, pictured while still alive, died in the arms of his parents, Jo Meeke and Matt Gurney, hours after an emergency caesarean operation in Chichester, an inquest heard

Puck's family told the inquest they would have elected to have a Caesarian operation earlier if it had been offered to them.

Giving evidence at West Sussex Coroner's Court in Crawley on Tuesday, Ms Meeke said: 'I was in constant pain.'

She said the pair were left waiting at the desk when they arrived at St Richard's Hospital in Chichester, despite ringing ahead, and then waited nearly two hours before they were seen by a midwife at 12pm. 

Ms Meeke told the court no-one had made her aware of concerns raised in the findings of a cardiotocography (CTG) - a test used to check a foetal heartbeat.

A specialist registrar admitted he was late for a review of Ms Meeke's condition as he was seeing to another high-risk woman in labour.  

The couple, who named their son after the character in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, are trying to raise £65,000 to buy part of a woodland in his memory

The couple, who named their son after the character in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, are trying to raise £65,000 to buy part of a woodland in his memory

Just after 6.15pm, doctors decided to deliver the baby by emergency caesarean section, more than 24 hours after going into labour, but he died the next day. 

Ms Meeke, 39, said: 'I just remember the feeling of panic that nothing was happening. I just remember the panic, that things weren't happening quickly and people weren't arriving. I just remember being really scared.

'It's something that I have to live with for the rest of my life, wondering if it was my fault the way I wanted my ideal birth to be that action wasn't taken when it should have been.'

The couple, who named their son after the character in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, are trying to raise £65,000 to buy part of a woodland. So far, more than £20,000 has been donated.

They said they wanted something good to come out of the 'utterly devastating event' that changed their lives forever and hope the woodland would help them come to terms with their loss.

Ms Meeke (right) told the court she feared her desire for an 'ideal birth' had delayed the emergency operation to save Puck 

Ms Meeke (right) told the court she feared her desire for an 'ideal birth' had delayed the emergency operation to save Puck 

They also said they hoped it would provide somewhere for grieving families and the 'amazing' nurses at the Southampton neo-natal unit to seek solace.

The inquest, which is expected to last two days, heard concerns were raised of a potential abruption, where the placenta partially or completely separates from the uterus which could deprive the baby of oxygen and cause severe bleeding.

This was being monitored before a decision on how to proceed with the delivery was made, the court heard, but the parents said they were not told the significance of a potential bleed on the placenta. 

Giving evidence via video link and then telephone from Egypt, Dr Ibrahim Elshazly said he told the parents he did not think it was safe to continue with a home birth and that they should have a hospital delivery.

He said the plan was to continue monitoring the baby's heartbeat and have a caesarean section at 6pm, but if there were signs of improvement then to progress with a natural birth. 

Midwives Helen Fecher and Holly Cook were also questioned by coroner Bridget Dolan over the time it took for concerns to be raised with an obstetrician.

Ms Fecher said it would have been difficult for Ms Meeke to have the procedure any earlier but 'limitations' on the ward at the time had not affected the decision. 

The inquest continues. 

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