Newborn baby dies after mum not woken for heart rate check

"A newborn baby died after hospital staff failed to wake his mother for "potentially lifesaving observations" before his birth, an investigation has found. Sonny Taylor was left "distressed for a significant amount of time" before a delayed emergency Caesarean at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor, and died three days later from a severe brain injury caused by sepsis and lack of oxygen. His parents Eve and Thomas said he was "badly let down when he needed help the most"."

"Sonny's mother, Eve, 29, had been admitted to hospital after her waters broke at 36 weeks. Later that afternoon she was taken to the maternity ward after signs of potential infection were identified. At 18:00 GMT, her observations and Sonny's heart rate were recorded as normal. While Eve was asleep at 22:00, midwifery staff did not wake her to carry out further observations or listen to Sonny's heart rate, despite this being required, an internal investigation report found."

""When I awoke Sonny was not moving as much and I immediately knew something wasn't right," she said. "What followed was frantic, chaotic and terrifying." A registrar confirmed the foetal heart rate was abnormal, but Eve was wrongly transferred to the labour ward, causing further delay before Sonny was delivered by emergency Caesarean at 02:03. "I went to sleep at my emergency C-section not knowing if I would wake up or whether my baby would make it," Eve said."

Sonny Taylor was born after a delayed emergency Caesarean and died three days later from severe brain injury caused by sepsis and lack of oxygen. His mother, Eve, 29, was admitted after her waters broke at 36 weeks and moved to the maternity ward when infection signs appeared. Observations at 18:00 were normal, but midwifery staff did not wake her at 22:00 to carry out required checks or listen to the fetal heart. Reduced fetal movement was later noted, an abnormal fetal heart rate was confirmed, and transfer errors delayed delivery. Sonny was later moved to palliative care and died.

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