Jennifer Cahill, 34, died during childbirth along with her newborn daughter Agnes after a planned home birth. Her husband stated that the couple was not fully informed of the risks associated with a home birth, especially given Jennifer's history of a traumatic hospital birth for her first son. Jennifer was reportedly "very keen" on a home birth due to her stressful experience with her elder son's delivery, where she felt a lack of midwife support and suffered a postpartum hemorrhage.
A community midwife present at the home birth, Andrea Walmsley, described Jennifer's birth plan as "the most intense" she had ever read and noted Jennifer had refused specific medications and observations, such as a syntometrine injection to prevent bleeding. Despite concerns, Walmsley stated she and her colleague did not overtly challenge Jennifer, partly due to awareness of ongoing complaints against midwives.
An obstetrician, Dr. Azal El-Adwan, had advised Jennifer against a home birth due to her high-risk status and explained available medications and hospital transfer plans. However, the court heard Dr. El-Adwan did not discuss the risk of death with Jennifer, deeming it not standard practice due to low prob... download the app to read more
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