Senior Coroner Believes Baby Evelyn’s Tragic Death Could Have Been Prevented…
A heartbreaking inquest revealed that newborn baby Evelyn Grace March tragically passed away just one day after being discharged from the hospital, following her mother’s prolonged labor. Evelyn’s death, which occurred at her home in the early hours of September 27, 2023, has raised critical concerns about the hospital’s decision to send her mother home so soon after delivery.
At around 1:45 a.m., Evelyn was brought into her mother’s bed for breastfeeding as she was unsettled. Exhausted from the labor, her mother is believed to have fallen asleep while feeding her. Hours later, at 4:00 a.m., Evelyn was found unresponsive under her mother’s breast. Despite immediate emergency care, Evelyn was tragically pronounced dead at 7:50 a.m. at Leeds General Infirmary, the very hospital where she had been born just a day earlier.
Though her official cause of death was recorded as “unascertained,” senior coroner Kevin McLoughlin noted that accidental suffocation by a sleeping adult is likely the cause. He raised concerns during the inquest that this tragedy might have been avoided had Evelyn’s mother been allowed to rest longer at the hospital with medical supervision for her baby.
Mr. McLoughlin sent a report to Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, questioning “the wisdom” of discharging the mother and baby just four hours after birth, especially following a labor that had left the mother severely sleep-deprived.
“The tragedy may have been avoided if she had been allowed to rest at the hospital for a few more hours while the baby was monitored,” McLoughlin stated. He further emphasized that the hospital should take action to prevent similar deaths, adding that future fatalities could occur unless changes are made.
The coroner’s report highlighted four areas of concern, including the decision to discharge the exhausted mother so soon after an induced delivery and the risks this posed. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has been given 56 days to respond with details of actions they plan to take to address these concerns.
This tragic event serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of ensuring adequate care and rest for new mothers post-labor. Evelyn’s death has sparked renewed conversations about hospital policies surrounding postnatal care and the monitoring of newborns, particularly after long and exhausting deliveries.
