Grieving mum says C-section request 'laughed off'

The parents of a baby who died after five missed opportunities for a C-section said their lives had transformed into a "continuous reel" of grief.

Emmy Russo died three days after she was born at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, in January 2024.

A coroner ruled that had staff acted on concerns raised by mother Bryony Russo earlier, it was likely the newborn would have survived.

Ms Russo said her request for an emergency C-section was "laughed off". The hospital has apologised.

The inquest at Essex Coroner's Court heard Emmy's brain was starved of oxygen during labour, causing her catastrophic brain injuries.

It followed several warning signs, including meconium, the consistency of "toothpaste" in Mrs Russo's waters, not being heeded by hospital staff.

"When we knew meconium was starting to show, I felt that Emmy was too high up in my belly," Ms Russo told the BBC.

"I'd never had a baby before, so it was just an instinct, a feeling of I couldn't see my baby naturally coming out that way."

Mrs Russo said she asked for a C-section, but was "laughed off" and told to proceed with a natural birth.

Her husband, Daniel Russo, added: "I kept telling Bryony 'please trust them, they're professionals so let them do their job'.

"It was a very relaxed atmosphere at the Princess Alexandra, everything was 'don't worry, it'll be OK'.

"But everything wasn't OK for a very long period of time, and it resulted in the death of our daughter."

Mr Russo said staff congratulated him on becoming a father before telling him Emmy had been "born dead".

"In one minute, I went through the emotions of thinking it was all OK, to confusion, to heartbreak," he added.

Emmy was transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge but died in her father's arms three days later.

Mrs Russo said she lost her job of 10 years and did not leave the house for four months in the aftermath of her daughter's death.

"You lose any direction of life, how I experience grief is a continuous reel of what happened."

The couple said they finally felt heard after the inquest laid bare the hospital's failures.

Independent expert obstetrician Teresa Kelly told the court there had been enough evidence "this baby wasn't coping with labour" and staff should have acted sooner.

"It was overwhelming because it was a relief, but then there was so much upset and anger because it just confirmed there were so many points where it could've been different," Mrs Russo said.

She claimed it was "terrifying" to witness staff interpret guidelines and scans differently, rather than everyone being "on the same page".

Mrs Russo added: "I really hope what happened with Emmy makes a change in those professionals involved, but also those people who are learning across all departments."

Sharon McNally, the hospital's chief nurse, said she recognised the coroner's findings.

"We sincerely apologise to baby Emmy's family," said Ms McNally.

"The safety of women, babies and families when receiving maternity care is our absolute priority and we ensure that learning from any incident is part of our focus on continuous improvement."

• If you have been affected by this story, you can find organisations that offer help, support and information at BBC Action Line.

Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.