Baby born ‘paralysed from the head down’ then died after midwives repeatedly told mum ‘you need to stop worrying’
A BABY who was born paralysed from the head down died after midwives repeatedly told his mum “you need to stop worrying”.
Robyn Davis, 28, herself a former midwife, began to feel drowsy and confused a few hours into labour with her second child.
But when she repeatedly told midwives she felt something was wrong, her old colleagues said there was nothing to worry about.
A recording captured the midwives saying: “I don’t know why you’re worrying so much, it’s going to make it worse.
“You need to stop worrying and take off your midwife hat – pretend you know nothing.”
Just hours later, Robyn was in a coma – and her Orlando baby son was in intensive care.
The tot had suffered a severe brain injury caused by oxygen starvation, and died 14 days later.
This week an inquest ruled that neglect had “contributed” to Orlando’s death.
Midwives and doctors failed to notice that Robyn was suffering from the potentially fatal condition hyponatraemia in labour.
Robyn told the Telegraph: “I was gaslit – I trusted these people so much that at one point I felt it must be me going insane.
“I was too poorly to question it, I didn’t have the strength to argue – I was totally powerless.
“I felt maybe I should just be quiet, because if they were so sure nothing was wrong then it must be me being crazy.”
Robyn went into labour at home on September 9, 2021 after a largely straightforward pregnancy.
But Robyn told midwives she had not been able to pass urine – and said the baby felt “stuck”.
She kept saying she felt tired and unwell before finding it harder to speak.
The baby’s heart rate rocketed, a sign something was wrong – but midwives just told Robyn to drink more.
Each of the seven midwives and two doctors who attended Robyn’s 16-hour labour repeated the advice.
The message that Robyn had not been able to go to the toilet was not passed on to staff taking over the shift.
By the evening, midwives were at last concerned enough about the baby’s heartbeat to transfer her to hospital by ambulance.
Robyn had already drunk four litres of water – but bumbling hospital staff pumped three more litres into her intravenously.
Soon afterwards, Robyn violently vomited two litres of liquid and became delirious.
When a doctor decided a C-section was needed for the baby to survive, Robyn was unable to sign the consent form.
All Robyn could manage to say were the words “Help me”, the inquest heard.
Her husband Jonny bent down beside her with the form – but Robyn’s eyes rolled back and she let out a chilling scream.
She then began convulsing violently, with the rest of her harrowing labour a blur.
The inquest heard that the operating theatre at the hospital was shut and the lift was not working properly, sparking delays.
A member of staff sat on the trolley to restrain Robyn during a seizure.
Her baby son Orlando was born without a heartbeat – with Robyn saying he was effectively “dead”.
Medics revived Orlando’s heartbeat after 20 minutes of resuscitation, but he was severely brain damaged.
The tot was paralysed from the head down and could not swallow on his own.
He was transferred to a neonatal ICU 15 miles away from Robyn, who spent three days in an induced coma.
When the mum woke, she was still suffering symptoms of hyponatraemia including confusion and paranoia.
No one told Robyn how ill Orlando was, so she was smiling and excited when she went to visit him.
A doctor took her aside and explained nothing could be done for Orlando – and palliative care was the only option.
Furious that people had met and touched her son before she could, Robyn started screaming.
The decision was made with Orlando’s medical team to withdraw all treatment.
He was introduced to his big sister for the first time before passing away in his parents’ arms the following morning.
The inquest did not conclude that Orlando’s death was a case of gross negligence manslaughter, dashing Robyn and Jonny’s hopes.
But the coroner said the failure of healthcare staff to recognise Robyn’s declining condition during labour was “fundamental”.
The coroner added that there were “lost opportunities” to give Robyn the treatment she needed.
In a damning verdict, the coroner ruled that Orlando’s death was “contributed to by neglect”.
But one midwife told the inquest that she would not do anything differently if she could go back in time.
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust has offered its “sincere condolences” for the couple’s loss but has not apologised.
The inquest took place just nine weeks after the couple’s third child Nova was born.
Robyn suffered birth injuries including damage to her pelvic floor and bladder during Orlando’s birth.
She cannot stand for long or lift heavy weights – and has had to leave her job because young children trigger mental health issues.
Both Robyn and Jonny have been diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety and depression following Orlando’s death.
They both suffer from health anxiety and struggle to cope when their daughters are unwell.
The couple are also suing the NHS Foundation Trust in a civil case, it is understood.
The Trust said it has implemented training for staff in hyponatraemia since Orlando’s death.