Baby died after NHS trust failed to warn mother of ‘unsafe’ home birth, coroner finds | NHS
A mother who lost her baby a week after a “dangerous” home birth that went against medical advice was rejected by the NHS, an inquest heard.
Poppy Hope Lomas was seven days old when she died at University College Hospital, London on October 26, 2022 following complications during a home birth which her mother said was encouraged by midwives at Barnet Hospital.
An inquest into Poppy’s death at Barnet Coroner’s Court concluded she probably died from a lack of oxygen reaching her brain in the 30 minutes before her birth.
Senior coroner Andrew Walker said the Royal Free London NHS trust agreed to support Poppy’s mother, Gemma Lomas, with an “unsafe home birth which went against medical advice” and failed to address “an accumulation of risk factors”.
After the investigation concluded Thursday, Lomas said in court: “Nothing will ever bring her back, but hearing the truth now recognized means everything to us.”
“We trusted the professionals who were guiding us,” she said, adding that she hoped lessons would be learned.
She previously told the inquest that midwives actively encouraged her to give birth vaginally at home, despite the risks, as she gave birth to her first daughter, Willow, by Caesarean section in 2018.
Guidelines from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists state that vaginal births after caesarean section (VBAC) should take place in a “delivery room that is adequately staffed and equipped” and “with resources available for immediate caesarean delivery”.
“I was encouraged to do what we did,” Lomas said. “I would never have made the decision to harm myself or my baby in any capacity.”
In England and Wales, around one in 50 births take place at home, but they are only recommended for low-risk pregnancies.
Last year, experts told the Guardian that mothers needed to be given clearer warnings about the potentially fatal dangers of giving birth at home.
It came after a coroner ruled that a Greater Manchester mother and daughter died after a home birth due to a “gross failure” of care. The investigation found that the dangers of a home birth had not been fully explained and that phrases such as “without guidance” had been favored over “against medical advice”.
In his closing remarks to the inquest into Poppy’s death, the coroner also raised concerns about the use of the phrase “out of orientation”. It recommended that multidisciplinary meetings involving parents be held when they choose “a risky home birth” and that they sign a consent form clearly explaining the risks.
A spokesperson for the Royal Free London NHS Trust offered their “sincere condolences” to Poppy’s family.
“Following an investigation, we introduced a number of measures to improve the care of women giving birth at home,” they said, including better communication and ensuring midwives were aware of guidelines for transferring mothers to hospital.
They added that the trust would respond to questions raised by the coroner in due course.
