Earlier C-section could have saved baby

A baby who died three days after birth would have survived if her mother had been offered a caesarean section, a coroner has said.

Emmy Russo was delivered at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow but died on 12 January 2024.

Mother Bryony Russo told an inquest at Essex Coroner's Court that her requests for a C-section were "laughed off" during the hours she was there in labour.

Assistant coroner for Essex, Thea Wilson, said there were five missed opportunities to offer Ms Russo a C-section, and that Emmy's chances would have been different had she been born an hour earlier.

"She would have been born in a better condition and on the balance of probabilities she would have survived," she said.

"There was a failure to respond adequately to the request for a C-section"

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

Giving evidence, midwife Megan Fletcher defended her decision not to escalate concerns to a more senior doctor, saying she was trying to avoid any further "invasive procedures".

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Source: BBC News, 7 May 2025