Anguish of mother as birth left son disabled

A MOTHER whose son was born with cerebral palsy after mistakes were allegedly made at his birth has said she had put her ‘complete trust’ in the maternity staff.

As the High Court approved a €2.5million interim settlement, mother Sinéad Wickham said: ‘The events of that morning will stay with me forever.’

Bruce Antoniotti SC, for the family, said a trace of baby Jack’s heart rate during his mother’s labour had revealed her son was in distress for an hour ‘and nothing was done’.

He said a consultant obstetrician was called by staff at Wexford General Hospital at 6.30am on October 29, 2008 – an hour after signs of distress became visible. The obstetrician came at 6.45am, and the baby was delivered using forceps at 7am.

Jack was taken to a neo-natal unit, but the evidence was the baby had suffered a severe lack of oxygen in the womb, just before his birth.

His subsequent brain damage could have been avoided had Jack been born by 6.40am, said counsel.

Jack, from New Ross, Co. Wexford, developed cerebral palsy with spastic quadriplegia, the court heard.

He can walk with the aid of a walker, Mr Antoniotti said. His cognitive function is good. Jack, now aged nine, has normal vision, hearing and relatively good speech.

Approving the settlement, made Trust: Mother Sinéad Wickham after mediation with the HSE, Judge Kevin Cross asked if Mrs Wickham wanted to say anything.

She told the court: ‘Today is a very bittersweet day for us. It has been a long process to get here, a process we should never have had to endure had proper care been taken to ensure the safe arrival of our son.

‘The professionals who were in charge of Jack’s delivery were not as professional as they should have been, and because of their negligence, and the damage that was done to our son’s brain, Jack now has to live with a physical disability for the rest of his life – a condition that could have been avoided.’

‘Jack was our first child. We put our complete trust in the maternity staff to deliver our baby safety.’

The case returns to court in 2025 for a reassessment of his needs .

‘Brain damage could have been avoided’