Mother ‘knew’ that newborn had problems

A MOTHER never got the chance to say a proper goodbye to her son because a consultant failed to diagnose a severe congenital disorder, it has been claimed.

Jane Kenny’s son Ruairi was born at the Midland Regional Hospital in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, on December 5, 2009, and died six days later at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin, Dublin.

Ms Kenny told a Medical Council fitness to practise inquiry that on the day Ruairi died, she had nothing to put on him that would fit him and had to leave him in a hospital wrapped in a towel. She said that as a mother she found that particularly upsetting.

The inquiry heard that Dr David Mortell, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Midland Regional Hospital, failed to carry out proper scans and measurements during Ms Kenny’s pregnancy.

Ms Kenny was 43 when she became pregnant with Ruairi, her second child. An older son, now six years old, was also born under the care of Dr Mortell in 2005.

Ms Kenny said Ruairi cried weakly when he was born by caesarean section at 38 weeks and weighing 4lbs.

“I knew there was a problem when the nurse said: ‘You have a lovely wee man’,” she said.

Ruairi had a severe genetic disorder called Edwards syndrome that results in heart abnormalities, kidney malformations and other internal complications.

Ms Kenny said she and her husband only learned of their son’s condition two days after he was born.

Ms Kenny, who was taken aback by the news, said Dr Mortell was not very comforting and left her room rather abruptly. If they had known the baby had the syndrome, the family would have made arrangements to spend more time with Ruairi.

Among the allegations made against Dr Mortell are that he recognised that the foetus was small for gestational age and failed to refer Ms Kenny for a full scan.

Ms Kenny and her husband decided to take Ruairi off a ventilator six days after he was born.

“They stopped the ventilator just after 4pm and he lived until just after 5pm in our arms. It was the second time we managed to hold him,” she said.

Ms Kenny argued to the council that her son’s condition might have been identified prenatally.

If she had known about his condition, she could have stayed with him in the hospital, held him in her arms for longer and avoided him being subject to a barrage of tests.

The inquiry has been adjourned until November 15.