Tragic Teegan died after giving birth
A teenage mother who gave birth to a ‘large baby’ could have been given an induced labour weeks before her infant was born, an inquest has heard.
Teegan Barnard suffered a cardiac arrest two hours after delivering her healthy baby boy, Parker, at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester on September 9, 2019.
The ‘small’ 17-year-old suffered a ‘major’ bleed giving birth to Parker, who weighed 9lbs 2oz, losing almost four litres of blood.
As a result of the bleed, Teegan was starved of oxygen and suffered a severe brain injury and later died on October 7, 2019. Parker was categorised as a macrosomic baby – one that is larger than the average baby. West Sussex Coroner’s Court, in Chichester, heard that under local NHS guidelines, Teegan could have been offered an induced labour at 38 weeks – three weeks before she eventually gave birth.
Investigators from the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) said it would have been ‘best
practice’ to have offered the teenager an induced labour.
Instead, Teegan’s little boy grew in size and ‘in retrospect it would have contributed to the risk of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH)’.
However consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Bronwyn Middleton told the inquest she did not entirely agree with all elements of the HSIB’S report, including the fact it incorrectly recorded her age as 16.
Teegan’s heartbroken family said the youngster would have been ‘an absolutely fantastic mum’.
Speaking at the start of the inquest in Chichester, her family said: “Teegan had a big personality and was full of life and loved her family,” adding she had no major illness growing up.
Teegan was given ‘a lot of support’, medical staff insisted during the inquest into her death.
Sally Waters, Teegan’s community midwife, had dealt with the teenager throughout most of her pregnancy and described it as ‘uncomplicated’.
Abbie and Trevor are now bringing up Parker alongside his dad, Leon Forster.
The inquest has been adjourned.