An inquest revealed that a mother whose baby passed away a week after birth was not properly informed of the risks associated with a natural home birth by the NHS trust. Poppy Hope Lomas tragically died at just seven days old at University College Hospital in central London following complications during a home birth she was encouraged to have.
The planned home delivery was carried out by Edgware Midwives, the designated home birth team at Barnet Hospital under the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. The trust was criticized for supporting Poppy’s mother, Gemma Lomas, in an “unsafe home delivery against medical advice,” neglecting to address various risk factors, according to Senior Coroner Andrew Walker at the inquest held at Barnet Coroner’s Court.
Mr. Walker highlighted that the midwives overseeing the home delivery failed to appropriately manage risk factors, leading to an absence or delay in necessary interventions. The coroner concluded that Poppy likely succumbed to a severe hypoxic ischaemic brain event just before her birth, a condition caused by oxygen deprivation to the brain.
During the proceedings, it was revealed that midwife Sasha Field, present at Poppy’s birth, acknowledged that an ambulance should have been called when the baby’s heart rate slowed down after a contraction. The failure to discuss these critical signs with Ms. Lomas and the decision not to return to the hospital were deemed serious lapses in medical care.
Ms. Lomas, who had previously given birth via Caesarean section, was not adequately informed of the risks associated with home births. Despite guidance from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recommending VBACs to be carried out in a well-equipped delivery suite with immediate access to Caesarean resources, Ms. Lomas was encouraged to opt for a vaginal birth after Caesarean at home.
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