A mum who died along with her newborn baby after a home birth shouted ‘I’m a warrior’ as she struggled during the final stages of the intense labour, an inquest heard yesterday.
Jennifer Cahill, 34, opted for a natural birth after feeling ‘unsupported’ in hospital when she had her son three years earlier.
She and daughter Agnes both died in hospital four days later in June after Jennifer suffered a post-delivery bleed.
Julie Turner, one of the midwives who attended Jennifer’s home, told the inquest: ‘She was struggling and shouted, “I really want to do this. I am a warrior! Why will my body not let me?”’
The experienced midwife said the reactions were common for women in labour but broke down in tears as she relived having to perform CPR on baby Agnes.
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She told the court she felt she ‘had to take control’ once she saw Agnes not breathing with the umbilical cord around her neck.
‘I was also in my head thinking about Jen and her being high risk and postpartum,’ she said.
‘I said to (colleague) Andrea (Walmsley) twice, “please check on Jen” in case of any haemorrhaging.’
Rochdale Coroner’s Court has heard Ms Walmsley was overwhelmed by ‘blind panic’ at Agnes’s poor condition and had never resuscitated a baby before.
In her evidence, she described the home birth scene as descending into ‘absolute chaos’.
She had said Jennifer’s birth plan was ‘the most intense I have ever read’.
Ms Turner told the inquest yesterday that some midwives tried to get out of being on call because they were ‘nervous’ about the number of women choosing to give birth away from hospital.
She said there was ‘unease in the office’ at the rise in women with complex birthing plans.
‘It used to be unusual for high-risk women to have a home birth, but in the last couple of years there has been a significant increase,’ she said.
‘Staff were fearful. It is one of the reasons we now go out in twos so that we can support each other.’
The inquest has heard Jennifer was a ‘high risk’ expectant woman as she had previously suffered postpartum haemorrhage, episiotomy and tear with the birth of her first child, and was also a carrier of group B strep.
Her first child went on to develop sepsis after being born, before recovering later.
Husband Rob Cahill previously explained that the ‘traumatic’ birth left his wife struggling with the prospect of delivering a baby in hospital, which she found very stressful.
She also felt that she did not have enough midwife support during her first hospital delivery.
Choosing a home birth meant Jennifer could better control her environment and have a calmer experience, Rob said.
When asked what she would do if a mother with high risk approached her about a home birth, Ms Turner said: ‘I’d be very concerned if a high-risk woman was exploring the options with me.’
She explained she would suggest trying different hospitals as an alternative.
Ms Turner described Jennifer’s birth plan as ‘very detailed’ but conceded that some things did ‘surprise’ her, including the initial refusal of a syntometrine injection, a vaginal examination, looking over the baby or making the baby wear a hat.
But she told the court she had no issues with the ‘atmosphere’ and low lighting, nor that the midwives were asked to speak in low tones.
The midwife told the court she has taken part in around 80 home births in her 15 years’ experience but has not worked since Jennifer’s.
During proceedings, Jennifer’s family thanked Ms Turner for ‘everything she tried to do for Jen that morning’ and added that she was ‘obviously a very good midwife’.
The inquest continues.
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