A baby died in September 2024 after doctors initially attributed the mother’s internal bleeding to trapped wind, an inquest in Horsham, West Sussex, has heard.

Kimberley Newark, 31, was 34 weeks pregnant when she experienced severe abdominal pain and sought care at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath. Medical staff treated her symptoms as colic, providing painkillers and medication for wind, and admitted her for observation. However, her condition deteriorated, and an examination revealed a significant drop in the fetus’s heart rate.

An emergency cesarean section was performed, uncovering a ruptured major blood vessel and substantial blood loss in Ms. Newark. The newborn, named Olivia, was diagnosed with severe hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy, a condition caused by oxygen deprivation to the brain. Both mother and child were transferred to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton for further treatment.

Despite these efforts, Olivia showed no brain activity during subsequent tests and passed away on September 19, five days after her birth. Ms. Newark remained hospitalized until October 17.

During the inquest, it was revealed that Ms. Newark and her partner had previously expressed concern about her worsening health prior to her hospital admission. The investigation also highlighted ongoing scrutiny of University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust’s maternity services following reports from bereaved families regarding infant deaths occurring between 2021 and 2023.

The inquest into Olivia’s death is ongoing.