Set off warning: This text mentions toddler loss.
10% of newborns delivered in hospitals would require resuscitation help to breathe at delivery. Child Thea was one in every of them.
Tragically, Thea didn’t obtain help till it was too late. As an alternative, employees at Redcliffe Hospital found that the oxygen tank Thea ought to have been given was empty.
The heartbroken mother and father of Thea have spoken out about their tragic loss whereas Redcliffe Hopsital is now below investigation for delaying resuscitation.
She wasn’t transferring as a lot
Thea’s mum and pop, Meg, 21 and James Flaskett, 22 had been over the moon to find they had been pregnant. They had been just lately married, had simply purchased a home and had been so excited to deliver their first child dwelling.
Meg skilled an uncomplicated being pregnant till across the 38-week mark when she seen Thea wasn’t transferring round almost as a lot. Thea additionally wasn’t rising as a lot as in earlier weeks.
After telling employees she “wasn’t assured” about her child’s well being and asking for a Cesarean-section delivery, the choice was made by the hospital to induce her labour for a vaginal delivery at 38 weeks.
Meg’s induction was pushed again from the early morning to late night as a result of hospital being actually busy.
At that time, I hadn’t actually felt Thea transfer for a lot of the day. However no one had actually checked in,” Meg informed 7News.
Thea was born with the twine round her neck
About half an hour into the delivery, Meg started to endure “numerous ache”. She was provided a number of varieties of anesthetic, together with by way of an epidural injection, which all failed to offer her aid. She begged for a c-section once more however the hospital declined and Thea was born vaginally by way of a vacuum extraction.
When she was born, Thea was a bluish color. She didn’t cry and she or he had the twine wrapped round her neck.
They unwrapped that … and positioned her onto my chest. She was a sort of blueish color and had puckered lips, and was groaning.”
Empty oxygen tank
Employees assured Meg and James that Thea was wonderful and simply wanted a bit of assist to breathe. Once they went to make use of the oxygen tank – the lifesaving system Thea wanted to assist her breathe, they found it was empty.
One of many midwives went to place it on and was like, ‘This one’s empty, we have to change it’.
Nobody actually knew the best way to change it. It went backwards and forwards for some time.
It appeared like nobody knew the best way to change to that life-saving tools that our child fairly clearly wanted.”
Thea did ultimately obtain oxygen however the delay might have been an excessive amount of for Thea’s little physique. Simply hours after welcoming Thea, Meg and James had been informed that their child wouldn’t survive.
Thea wasn’t displaying indicators of mind exercise anymore, her organs had been shutting down, and if we wished to carry her, now could be the time,” Meg mentioned.
“We determined that we’d have our cuddle. At that time, she was positioned into my arms and I used to be simply admiring each a part of her. It was the primary time I obtained to take all of it in and spot her purple hair and the way a lot she regarded like each James and I. She was every thing I dreamt she could possibly be and extra.”
Thea handed away in her daddy’s arms.
Unimaginable grief
Thea was born in September. Lately Meg and James shared their grieve with 7News and Dawn, explaining how the dying of their daughter continues to hang-out them and the way they only attempt to take it day-to-day and hour by hour.
I look again and surprise the ache she would have felt in these hours,” Meg mentioned.“I consider it was a very preventable prevalence.
“Had she have been met with the oxygen, even in these first eight minutes after they had been saying she was okay, I feel she would have had a a lot better probability.”
Redcliffe Hospital below investigation
A coronial investigation and an inside overview by the hospital into Thea’s dying at the moment are underway however Kim Hansen, the hospital’s medical director of kids’s well being has declined to touch upon whether or not or not the employees had been within the improper.
We’re ready for the main points from the interior overview and the coroner’s findings and that can give us extra details about what occurred,” she mentioned at a media convention.
“I perceive the oxygen tank required altering through the resuscitation of child Thea, and that was finished.
We do know that child Thea turned critically unwell very quickly after the supply and resuscitating the infant took the eye of the employees.
The employees seen there have been issues with child Thea’s respiratory very quickly after delivery after which the resuscitation began.”
Kim Hansen additionally commented that the necessity to change an oxygen tank in the course of an emergency is “not unusual” and that every one employees “are skilled to alter oxygen tanks after they develop into empty.”
Our employees are compassionate and glorious clinicians. They’re devastated by what’s occurred.”
Our ideas exit to Meg and James as they arrive to phrases with this tragic final result and hopefully get the solutions they deserve. The couple have additionally shared they hope to have one other child however, after what they’ve endured, discover it “extremely laborious to belief the system”.
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