Parents' tribute to their 'little fighter' who died at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
The parents of a baby who died of a rare condition triggered by events during his birth today paid tribute to their "little fighter" as an inquest concluded his death could have been avoided.
Jenson Christopher Barnett died on June 18 last year, just two days after he was born at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
His parents Kate Langford and Barney Barnett said they hoped the outcome of the three-day inquest would serve to prevent other parents from having to go through the nightmare they had endured. The couple, from Brimmon Close, Newtown, have been together for more than three years and Jenson was their first child.
Miss Langford, 28, said: "We just want justice for the little man. We just don't want it to happen again.
"I feel like we've got a bit of closure now. I went to have my child and had to come home without him. It's horrible.
"We've got a car seat and a nursery all done up at home for him, decorated with Winnie the Pooh. We both love Winnie the Pooh. We've got everything and it was all ready for him to come home, and he didn't."
She added: "He was gorgeous. He was 9lb 14oz. He was a real fighter. He lived for two days after he was born and he lived for 20 minutes by himself after they took the tubes out.The doctors said if he breathed on his own then that was his way of telling us that he wanted to live. He'd just been through so much already. He had a burst lung and when they took him for a brain scan he just didn't respond to anything.
"I've been brave for the little man. We're so proud of him because he fought for the two days he was with us."
The inquest at Shrewsbury's Guildhall had heard that the first sign of trouble was when doctors seemed uncertain of where the baby's head was lying. Two doctors each tried twice to use the forceps to deliver Jenson before deciding to deliver the baby by Caesarean section.
He was described as being "floppy" when he was born and his parents were later told Jenson was poorly but had pulled through.
The couple were then told a brain scan had picked up other severe problems, and they had to make the devastating decision to turn off his life-support.
A post mortem examination revealed he had died from disseminated intravascular coagulation, which caused excessive blood loss, triggered by brain damage caused by the failed forceps delivery.
Shropshire coroner John Ellery recorded a narrative verdict at the inquest yesterday. He said: "Jenson died from the consequences of brain trauma. Jenson's death could have been avoided if at or after 2pm either he had been delivered by forceps appropriately placed around his head or, if unsuccessful, he'd been delivered by Caesarean section.
"I do not consider on the balance of probability anything before or after the birth caused or contributed to his death. Everything flows from the attempted forceps delivery."
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