‘Long f ight for answers over our girl’s death’
Parents finally get hospital apology
THE parents of a baby girl stillborn at a hospital almost ten years ago have said they faced a ‘nonstop fight all the way ’ to get answers.
It comes after an inquest jury returned a verdict of medical misadventure over the death of baby Asha Reilly in March 2008.
The father, Warren Reilly, speaking afterwards, said: ‘We are relieved the coroner came to this conclusion and that we got this information. The openness was appreciated... There’s been a lot of heartache involved – its been very tiring and stressful for all involved.’
Lorraine and Warren Reilly lost two babies at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe. Galway, within two years. Another child, Amber Reilly, died there in 2010. At Asha’s inquest, the hospital apologised unreservedly for failures of care and for the lack of communication with the family following their loss.
Mrs Reilly was 30 weeks pregnant when she went to the hospital feeling dizzy and unwell. She was admitted just before 11pm on March 7, 2008. Midwife Essie Dowd became concerned after noting reduced foetal movement and tension across Mrs Reilly’s abdomen.
She called Dr Ali Hegazy, who gave a working diagnosis of urinary tract infection.
Ms Dowd said she suspected a placental abruption, a serious condition where the placenta separates from the womb.
A ‘snapshot’ CTG monitor of the baby’s heart rate was taken shortly after Mrs Reilly’s admission. It was more than four hours later, when staff attempted a second CTG, that no heartbeat was found.
Sara Antoniotti, for the family, asked Dr Hegazy if Mrs Reilly had displayed ‘all the classic signs of placental abruption’, and he agreed she had.
However, he said she had no risk factors for this condition and that he felt at the time she was more likely to be suffering a urinary tract infection.
In hindsight, the doctor admitted he should have continued the CTG for longer.
After her admission to the hospital, Mrs Reilly – then aged 27 – noticed she was bleeding, the inquest in Galway heard.
She said: ‘I explained I was in a lot of pain and I was bleeding. She [a midwife] asked me to go back to bed.’ When Mrs Reilly realised the bleeding was getting worse, she returned to the nurses’ station. She was taken into the labour ward and a CTG attempt at 3.28am failed to locate a foetal heartbeat. Dr Hegazy examined her and told her the baby had died. Mrs Reilly had an emergency caesarean section and baby Asha was stillborn at 4am.
‘I told Warren I was so sorry and he told me as he burst into tears that it was not my fault,’ she said. ‘The pain and heartbreak I felt was so immense. Those moments with our daughter were so precious. As a family we have grieved so much for Asha. Our daughter Angel still talks about her. The pain of losing her will never leave us.’
Coroner Richard Joyce praised the couple for their courage in speaking about their loss and said the changes in policy at Portiuncula Hospital served as a legacy for baby Asha.
‘There’s been a lot of heartache’