Midwives avoided home birth call-outs, inquest into mum’s death told

Some midwives tried to get out of being on call as they were “nervous” about a rise in women wanting to have babies away from hospital, an inquest for a mother who died after a home birth has found.

Jennifer Cahill, 34, of Prestwich, Greater Manchester, wanted a natural birth after a difficult labour with her first child in hospital, despite being told a hospital birth would be safer, Rochdale Coroner’s Court heard.

She died in hospital in June after a post-delivery bleed at home. Her newborn daughter Agnes died in hospital a few days later.

Julie Turner, a midwife who attended Mrs Cahill’s home, told the inquest there were more women with complex birth plans causing “unease in the office”.

The court heard Mrs Cahill haemorrhaged after the birth of her first child but still wanted a natural birth.

Ms Turner said there had been an increase in home birth requests in recent years.

When asked by coroner Joanne Kearsley if midwives were worried about that, Ms Turner said: “There was unease in the office.

“People were nervous about being on call and some people would do anything to get out of being on call. There were more women with complex birth plans and people were nervous about that.”

Ms Turner became upset as she described Agnes being born with the umbilical cord around her neck and covered in meconium.

Paramedics were called and they took the baby to hospital.

“The situation with the baby wasn’t good but [I also had] to think about Jen being high risk,” Ms Turner said.

Mrs Cahill had a bleed after Agnes was born.

Ms Turner said “I had to make a split second decision to stay with mum and not go [to hospital] with the baby.”

Ms Turner said Mrs Cahill’s birth plan was “very organised and detailed” but she found some requests “surprising”.

The inquest previously heard the other midwife who attended Mrs Cahill’s home, Andrea Walmsley, described the situation at the birth as “absolute chaos”.

Resuscitation equipment set up by the midwives had not been checked and an air mask they tried to use on the baby was broken.

Ms Walmsley – who had not met the mother or seen her birth plan before arriving at the home – was questioned about the records taken to monitor Mrs Cahill’s blood pressure and the baby’s heart rate.

The inquest heard hours of readings had been written on an incontinence pad that was later thrown out.

She also told the inquest she felt she and her colleague “really weren’t wanted” at the house.

The inquest continues.