'I didn't know what way the baby was'

A mother has told an ongoing inquiry of the traumatic birth of her child at Cavan General Hospital during which the baby required resuscitation.

Consultant obstetrician Dr Salah Aziz Ahmed faces allegations of poor professional performance and professional misconduct relating to three women who gave birth at the hospital between November 2012 and April 2014.
Yesterday (Tuesday) Deirdre Clarke (37) continued to give her evidence at the Medical Council Fitness to Practise Inquiry and described the care she received from Dr Aziz moments after her second child was born.
Ms Clarke’s baby, named Roland after his father, was born by emergency caesarean section on June 5, 2013.
Roland was born in a very poor condition, and the paediatric team had to resuscitate him in the operating theatre. A the same time Dr Aziz began to repair Ms Clarke’s uterus, which had ruptured.
“I could see the gravity of what was occurring in his face,” said Ms Clarke. “It was a hot day and he was sweating. Dr Aziz saved my womb, which I am very grateful for.”
After the surgery, Ms Clarke was transferred to a recovery room. “I didn’t know what way the baby was, whether it was a boy or a girl,” said Ms Clarke. “At some point, I heard it was a boy, and that he had gone to the SCBU, the special care baby unit.”
Roland was then transferred to the Rotunda, where “they were very concerned about him, and they didn’t know what the outcome would be,” said Ms Clarke.
Initial tests on Roland proved positive and he is now a normal three-year-old. “He’s a perfect little boy,” said Ms Clarke.
She told the hearing that she expressed concerns at her six-week post-natal check-up with Dr Aziz, which took place in August 2013.
“I went alone to this,” she told the inquiry. “I didn’t know what to expect. I was still very much in shock from the whole thing.”
The inquiry heard that Dr Aziz’s notes state he had a lengthy discussion with Ms Clarke about the birth, and offered to answer any questions she might have.
Ms Clarke said she does not recall any lengthy discussion and was unable to ask any questions at that time.
“I just listened. I was very vulnerable at that time. My body was still in shock,” she said. “I felt he wasn’t going to implicate himself or admit he did anything wrong.”
It is alleged that Dr Aziz failed to adequately counsel Ms Clarke about the associated risks involved in a vaginal birth after a caesarean section, or VBAC.
He also faces allegations in relation to the medication administered to Ms Clarke during her labour on June 5, 2013.
Senior counsel for Dr Aziz, Eileen Barrington, said Dr Aziz will say he discussed the mode of delivery at his ante-natal appointment with Ms Clarke in November 2012. He will say he would have told Ms Clarke that a vaginal delivery was a safer option for her, unless complications arose.
The inquiry, which is taking place in Lucan, Co Dublin, has already heard details involving one of the patients, a 37-year-old woman referred to as Patient One, whose baby boy passed away 32 hours after he was born on the night of 22 November 2012.
Dr Aziz denies the allegations against him. The inquiry continued yesterday afternoon after this newspaper went to print (updates at www.anglocelt.ie).