A newborn baby and his mother tragically died after she fell and collapsed on top of him while breastfeeding in hospital, in an unimaginable tragedy.
A newborn baby and his mother died after she had an epileptic seizure, fell and collapsed on top of him.
A three-day inquest has reached a verdict of medical misadventure over the tragic deaths. Mother-of-three Marie Downey, 36, from Ireland was found dead at Cork University Maternity Hospital on March 25, 2019. Doctors tried to resuscitate her son Darragh but he never regained consciousness and died the next day.
Consultant obstetrician Dr Keelin O’Donoghue, who found Marie, described Darragh as a “normal, well grown and well-nourished” baby boy who’s life could have been saved if a hospital staff member had found them within four minutes.
A post mortem found that Darragh died from acute respiratory failure as a result of compression asphyxia and multi-organ failure.
Marie had sustained an upper cervical cord injury after a fall, which had occurred after the epileptic seizure.
Husband Kieran Downey told local site CorkBeo that he has “no faith in the system and very little confidence that seismic changes will occur to prevent other families from experiencing such traumatic loss”.
Mr Downey said he couldn’t be sure that another women wouldn’t lose her life arising out of what Coroner Philip Comyn referred to as “certain systems failures”.
“Yes (it could happen again). It happened to Marie. I have no faith in the systems as they are and based on what we have heard it takes a long long time for anything to be implemented.”
He said while the verdict and recommendations from the jury are “good”, the process was “very difficult”.
“Marie and I sought what we thought was the best possible care for her and paid to go private. We were let down and we feel failed by the system.”
Marie had been diagnosed with epilepsy in 2010, and had multiple seizures during her first and second pregnancies. She had been treated by the same obstetrician and gynaecologist for all three pregnancies – Dr O’Donoghue.
Stress and fatigue are “precipitators for seizures” in Marie, with breastfeeding possibly adding to her stress.
The inquest heard there were communication deficiencies and that Dr O’Donoghue had not written to Ms Downey’s neurologist Dr Peter Kinirons about Marie’s third pregnancy.
He had assumed Dr Kinirons knew Marie was pregnant.
“I regret that I didn’t write to him at that time. It is an oversight I regret.”
Mr Downey said he is focusing on his two children, James and Sean, who had met their brother in hospital before his death and had one family photo taken.
“Our two boys are great. The horrible tragic events of the 25th of March have left an impression on them even though they were very young. Something no child should ever go through.
“We speak about Mummy and Darragh every single day. They will never be forgotten.
“I wouldn’t wish (a tragedy like this) it on my worst enemy.
“It should never have happened.”
Originally published as Baby, mum die after she has epileptic seizure and falls on him
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