Shropshire baby inquest told parents faced with life or death choice
A grieving couple have told a Shropshire inquest of their heartbreaking decision to turn off the life support machine keeping their newly born baby son alive.
Describing two-day-old Jenson Barnett as a "little fighter" his mother Kate Langford said she and her partner Andrew Barnett did not want to prolong their son's suffering any longer.
The inquest at Shrewsbury has heard Jenson died on June 18, two days after being delivered by caesarean section at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
The inquest heard that he sustained a fractured right parietal bone, at the back of his head, and that his umbilical cord had been wrapped around his neck when he was born.
Miss Langford said he and her partner Andrew, known as Barney, were looking forward to welcoming their new baby into the world.
She told the inquest at the Guildhall yesterday the first sign of trouble was when doctors seemed uncertain of where the baby's head was lying and the decision was taken by doctors to deliver the baby.
Miss Langford, from Newtown in Mid Wales, said: "There were no discussions about options as to how that was going to be done.
"I remember them saying they would use forceps."
The inquest was told doctors twice unsuccessfully tried to use the forceps.
Miss Langford said doctors used "great force" as they tried to use the forceps. She said: "I was holding on to the metal handles. The bed shunted back.
"The bed shook really hard."
Doctors then decided to deliver Jenson by C-Section.
Miss Langford said: "We were told that Jenson had breathing problems, his lung had popped, he needed a blood transfusion and had various other problems due to such a traumatic birth but he was a little fighter because he overcame all these problems."
The inquest was told as the baby's health waned and a severe brain injury had been diagnosed.
Miss Langford said: "Barney and I decided we did not want to put our little boy through any further unnecessary suffering and we decided that it was best to cease treatment."
Dr Janet Rennie, a consultant neonatologist at London's University College Hospital said: "It was the actual process of birth which then set in train a very catastrophic spiral."
Dr Adam Gornall from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital said Dr Sharon Oates, who had tried to deliver Jenson with forceps, had voluntarily withdrawn from obstetric practise almost immediately after Jenson's death.
And it had been agreed that Dr Olusegu Ilesanmi, who also tried to deliver Jenson, should be withdrawn from practising in obstetrics.
The hearing continues.
