Mum who lost baby after home birth claims maternity hospital failed to share medical details

Her baby boy Rob died shortly after a home birth.

*Warning: Article mentions baby loss* A mother who lost her baby after a home birth has claimed that the maternity hospital failed to share health details with her community midwife. The heartbroken mother experienced difficulties during previous pregnancies which may have ruled out a home birth for her. She tragically lost her baby boy Rob just hours after he was born at home on August 27th, 2020. Baby Rob passed away after being rushed to the Rotunda Hospital. Paula Cashin told Dublin District Coroner's Court that her eldest child suffered from shoulder dystocia during her first birth. Shoulder dystocia is when the baby's shoulder gets stuck, usually on the pelvic bone, after the baby's head is delivered. Ms. Cashin's midwife Carolyn Coughlan was not aware of this issue. According to The Irish Mirror, Ms. Cashin says she often wonders "how events would have unfolded" if her midwife had the correct information. The Rotunda provided her midwife with her medical records, but there was no information about the shoulder dystocia in the file. During baby Rob's birth, Ms. Cashin started to experience similar issues when delivering her son. Her midwife told the court that Ms. Cashin would not have been eligible for a home birth had they known about this previous issue. She also said Ms. Cashin should have been assessed by a consultant before her home delivery. However, Ms. Cashin reportedly didn't know about the complication until she applied to Rotunda for a copy of her medical records.

"Ms. Cashin says she often wonders "how events would have unfolded" if her midwife had the correct information."

The mum said she had no concerns during her pregnancy but was aware that she could give birth to a large baby. The mum gave birth to her son's head when she was in a birthing pool. She was then moved to the sofa for the remainder of the delivery. Ms. Cashin went into labour on August 26th, 2020. Her baby boy Rob was born at their Dublin home on August 27th, 2020. The inquest has been adjourned until the Rotunda and a group of midwives has time to analyse new evidence. Ms. Cashin and her husband Colm are parents to two other children- 7-year-old Sarah and 1-year-old Ben.