Premature Baby Has Head, Arms Detached Inside Mother's Womb During Botched Delivery

An unborn baby in England died inside its mother’s womb during delivery because of a consulting gynecologist's decisions, according to testimony at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing in Manchester. The tribunal heard claims that in March 2014 the doctor had urged the patient to push as the practitioner pulled the baby’s legs, which resulted in the baby being decapitated.

It was stated that Dr. Vaishnavy Laxman, 41, who had operated on the mother at Ninewells hospital in Dundee, Scotland, could have given the mother an emergency C-section because the baby had been in an odd position during birth.

However, Mona Chard, who was a midwife during the delivery, said Laxman had decided against a C-section and that she "saw her pull the baby's feet and cord and she told the patient to push." The decision may have caused the baby's legs, arms and torso to separate from its body, leaving the head still in his mother's womb.

At the tribunal service, the mother, who had never given birth before, reportedly said to Dr. Laxman, "I don't forgive you.'

She told the court that this was her first childbirth and claimed that doctors promised to give her a C-section should anything go wrong. The mother explained that none of the doctors told her that a natural birth at the time could be fatal.

"I had the doctors putting their hands inside me and I had them pushing on my stomach and then pulling me down," the mother said. "I tried to get off the bed but they pulled me back three times and just said they had to get the baby out."

The mother added that doctors tried to cut her cervix and that she wasn't given anesthetic during the surgery.

"I said to them 'it doesn't feel right, stop it, what's going on, I don't want to do it' but nobody responded to me in any way," said the mother.

She claimed Dr. Laxman had apologized to her after explaining that her son had died after the operation.

Dr. Laxman has denied contributing to the baby's death.

"There was an obstruction during the birth which proved to be fatal," said Charles Garside QC, a lawyer for the General Medical Council. "Dr. Laxman allegedly delivered the legs, torso and arms successfully but whilst trying to deliver the head, it got stuck in the cervix.

"The attempt to manipulate the baby's head to come out of the cervix failed because the cervix had clamped onto the baby's head and despite effort made to assist, these efforts failed."

Dr. Laxman's lawyer, Gerard Boyle QC, told the mother during the hearing that Dr. Laxman "is so very sorry and deeply saddened for the outcome of your baby."

The hearing will continue.