Mum, 32, dies giving birth ‘after advice against natural delivery is lost’
A mother died giving birth after advice against having a natural delivery was lost, an inquest heard yesterday.
Lucy howell, 32, had a caesarean for her first child, a procedure which led to follow-up surgery.
her consultant told her not to have a natural birth if she became pregnant again but this warning did not make it into plans drawn up for her second delivery four years later.
mrs howell had a rupture and, while her child Pippa survived, she herself died at the royal hampshire County hospital in march 2021. Coroner rosamund rhodes-Kemp suggested that a different approach might have been taken had the consultant’s concerns been aired.
A pre-inquest review last year was told that mrs howell, who was an environmental engineer, had been given conflicting advice about delivery method risks.
opening the inquest, mrs rhodes-Kemp told Winchester Coroner’s Court: ‘It wasn’t a straightforward pregnancy or birth. She wanted to have a natural delivery and as we know, she continued on that basis.’ mrs howell did not fall into ‘spontaneous’ labour after her waters broke and was given medication to cause contractions.
her husband matthew, from Bishop’s Waltham in hampshire, told the inquest she made her birth plans at the Winchester hospital based on medical guidance.
Shaheen Khazali, who operated after mrs howell had her first child rosie, confirmed that he told her to have a C-section next time.
But he acknowledged other advice she received could be contradictory, adding: ‘It is normal to have differences of opinion.’
Asked why he had not been consulted by colleagues handling mrs howell’s care, he said: ‘my best guess is that they didn’t feel they needed more information.’
he insisted he had ‘given the right advice and communicated it’.
mrs rhodes-Kemp said: ‘It was not appreciated there was a view that was different, your view got lost. No one spoke to you.’
the inquest, which is expected to last four days, continues.