‘Home deliveries should be within 30 minutes of hospital’

AN obstetrician has told a court hearing into the death of an infant who died after what appeared a normal delivery at home that home births should not take place more than half an hour away from a hospital.

Dr Matthew Hewitt made the claim at the inquest into the death of Tadgh McLoughlin at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) last January, six hours after he was born at his mother’s home in west Cork.

Hazel McLoughlin had the services of community midwife Bridget Sheeran, who arrived at her home in the early stages of her labour on the night of January 2, 2009. Ms Sheeran told Cork City Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane everything seemed normal with the labour up to shortly before he was born at 8.20am the next day.