TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE: Deeana Maric with her father Joe outside Orange hospital. Photo: JUDE KEOGH 0314hospital7
THE family of a full-term baby girl who was stillborn at Orange hospital in December is anxiously waiting for answers from health authorities as to why the baby, who had a healthy heartbeat at the start of labour, died in childbirth.
Baby Arriana Mae Maric’s mother Deeana and her parents Joe and Rae, who were with their daughter throughout her labour, say the weeks since the baby died have been traumatic.
A spokesperson for NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner has confirmed an internal inquiry at the hospital has been passed on to the NSW Ministry of Health.
“The case will now be reviewed by the Clinical Excellence Commission, which is another pillar of the ministry and is made up of medical experts,” the spokesperson said.
Joe Maric said he hoped more checks and balances had been put in place at the hospital to ensure an emergency caesarean was available to any woman who found herself in the same position as his daughter.
Mr and Mrs Maric said as it became more difficult for midwives to detect a heartbeat on baby Arriana, they were expecting an obstetrician to be called in to take over management of the birth.
“We just simply don’t want to see this happen to anyone else,” Mr Maric said.
“And so I hope the hospital is already looking at its procedures and they have learned a lesson from my daughter’s experience.”
Mr Maric said he had no issue with the hospital when an emergency response was activated in the unit by one of the two midwives attending his daughter.
“People just came running from everywhere - they filled the room to work on the baby,” he said.
“But it was too late.”
Deeana said when her baby was born it was placed on her chest momentarily.
“Then they quickly took her away when they realised something was wrong,” she said.
At the time of the baby’s death Orange Health Service expressed its condolences to the family.
Senior staff later visited the family’s home to take notes and interview them about the circumstances surrounding Ms Maric’s labour and the baby’s birth.
The hospital has declined to comment further on the case saying it will liaise directly in future with the family.
