Teen Who Died Birthing 9lb Baby Should Have Been Induced, Inquest Hears
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A 17-year-old who died after giving birth to a larger than expected baby should have been induced weeks earlier, an inquest has heard.
Teegan Barnard from Havant, Hampshire died in 2019 after losing almost four litres of blood during the birth of her nine-pound nine-ounce son, Parker, via emergency C-section.
An inquest heard that Barnard suffered a cardiac arrest that left her with unsurvivable brain damage, and despite efforts by doctors at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester, West Sussex to save her, she was ultimately discharged to die at home almost four weeks later.
Investigators at the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) found that under NHS best practices Barnard should have been offered an induced labour at 38 weeks – three weeks before she gave birth – but was not.
Instead, the baby grew further in size, with investigators saying ‘with retrospect’ it could be said that giving birth to a large baby ‘would have contributed to the risk of postpartum haemorrhaging.’
‘We are able to say it would have been best practice to offer the induction earlier. It would have been down to Teegan and her family to make a decision as to whether it would have been done,’ HSIB maternity investigations team leader Debbie Laing told the inquest, per The Mirror.
Ahead of the opening of the inquest, Barnard’s mother Abbie Hallawell said ‘Teegan and the rest of the family were delighted when she fell pregnant. She was really looking forward to becoming a parent and she would have been an absolutely fantastic mum.’
‘It still doesn’t really seem real that what should have been the best day in Teegan’s life ended tragically and left all of our family changed forever.’
Parker is being raised by Hallawell and his father, Leon Forster, with his grandmother saying ‘while he’ll grow up without his mum in his life he will always be told how much Teegan loved him and how she’ll always be a part of our family.’
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677
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