First-Time Mom Dies Hours After Giving Birth Due to ‘Serious Omissions’ From Hospital Staff

Trigger Warning: This story talks about medical negligence that may be disturbing to readers. 

Jade Hart, originally from Pontefract, gave birth to her son Hugo just after 10 pm on July 8th, 2018, at Bassetlaw Hospital in Worksop. Hart, a first-time mom, was excited for her future with her little one. But just hours after giving birth, she tragically passed away.

The cause of her death was a uterine inversion—a rare complication in which the uterus turns partially or completely inside out, according to New York Post. What's worse is that this could have been avoided had the hospital staff been responsible. 

An inquest at Nottingham Coroner’s Court revealed that the woman's death was a result of mistakes by one of her doctors and a midwife at the hospital. The 33-year-old woman’s umbilical cord was reportedly pulled at least four times by a doctor when her placenta had not separated.

Assistant Coroner Dr. Elizabeth Didcock called it “a very serious omission of care” which caused Mrs. Hart’s death.

A report submitted at the inquest also found that the mother had suffered multiple cardiac arrests. However, she would not have died if it were not for the uterine inversion. It was also found that an ongoing hemorrhage was mismanaged and regular checks were not done in the hours leading up to her death.

She lost over five liters of blood, which eventually led to organ failure and brain damage, and ultimately, her death. While these could not have been foreseen by the staff, but it was a result of guidance not followed, the inquest concluded. 

Speaking after the inquest, Julie Hazelgrave, Jade’s mother, said her daughter who had “a great zest for life” was “wonderfully kind and caring.” Before the incident, Hart was well, though, she did have high blood pressure prior to labor being induced.

"Jade had a perfect life and marriage and, when their son was born, I saw that Jade was the happiest she had ever been. Cruelly, all happiness was short-lived when, within one hour of birth, Jade collapsed and died in the immediate hours thereafter.

“We remain devastated at the loss of Jade. Her death has cast a long shadow over our lives and our world has irrevocably changed. We miss Jade every single day and always will.”

Her husband Richard Hart said: "Being independent and thorough, Jade's inquest has been invaluable to our understanding of what happened to Jade, that turned what should have been a wholly wonderful day into one with tragedy," per Nottingham Post.

He further added, "It is time to find some peace and time to grieve the gift that was Jade, while concentrating on the joy and gift that Jade gave to us, our beautiful son." He also mentioned that he has no recollection of her being asked to push, or making sounds to suggest she was pushing, after the birth, as was initially suggested by her doctor.

She reportedly asked for an epidural before going into labor but it was rejected, fearing it would shoot up her pressure. However, the inquest said that it would have actually helped her with the pain. 

“Serious omissions has led to insufficient learning and no acceptance that this had caused serious distress to the family," Assistant Coroner Dr. Elizabeth Didcock said of the incident. 

“This poses a risk of similar deaths occurring in the future. I am not reassured the necessary actions are in place.” She told the family: “I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s also my hope that lessons will be learned that will lead to improvements in care going forward.”

References:

https://nypost.com/2022/06/07/medics-exceptionally-bad-mistakes-kill-mom-hours-after-giving-birth/

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/kind-caring-mum-died-hours-7157203

Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Pornpak Khunatorn