Family’s Agony Over 17-Year-Old Mother Who Died After Being Starved of Oxygen Giving Birth

Family’s Agony Over 17-Year-Old Mother Who Died After Being Starved of Oxygen Giving Birth

 

The family of a teenage mother who died after giving birth has spoken of their heartbreak as an inquest revealed she suffered a catastrophic brain injury due to being starved of oxygen.

 

Teegan Barnard, 17, from Havant, Hampshire, collapsed shortly after delivering her baby boy, Parker, at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester in September 2019. Although she gave birth safely, her condition rapidly deteriorated soon afterwards. The inquest into her death heard that medical staff failed to recognise a life-threatening complication caused by air entering the wrong part of her body, known as a tension pneumothorax.

 

According to expert testimony during the inquest, air had leaked from Teegan’s lungs into her chest cavity and built up pressure, which then caused her lungs to collapse and her heart to become compressed. This condition led to a lack of oxygen to her brain and a fatal brain injury. Despite efforts to resuscitate her, Teegan never regained consciousness and died four weeks later.

 

Teegan’s mother, Abbie Hallawell, said her daughter was “robbed of her chance to be a mother” and described the ordeal as a “living nightmare.” Speaking after the hearing, Ms Hallawell said, “Teegan was so excited to meet her baby and to begin life as a young mum. To have her taken from us like this, when she should have been celebrating the happiest time of her life, is impossible to accept.”

 

The inquest heard that Teegan had complained of shortness of breath and showed signs of distress shortly after childbirth. However, critical signs of her worsening condition were not acted upon quickly enough. Expert witnesses testified that earlier recognition and intervention could have changed the outcome.

 

A consultant in emergency medicine told the court that the condition, though rare, is well-known and treatable if identified promptly. “There were clear clinical signs that should have led to an immediate diagnosis and emergency treatment,” the expert said. “Delays in recognising the severity of her symptoms led to a tragic and avoidable outcome.”

 

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs St Richard’s Hospital, expressed its condolences to the family and acknowledged the findings of the inquest. A spokesperson for the Trust said, “We are deeply sorry for the devastating loss the Barnard family has suffered. We fully accept the coroner’s findings and have implemented changes in training and procedures to reduce the risk of such tragedies in the future.”

 

Teegan’s family say they now hope her story will raise awareness of tension pneumothorax and ensure other young mothers are not failed in similar ways. “We want answers, but more than that, we want change,” said Ms Hallawell. “Teegan’s death must not be in vain.”

 

The coroner concluded that Teegan died from a hypoxic brain injury caused by a tension pneumothorax that was not identified or treated in time. The case has reignited calls for improved maternal care and greater vigilance in postnatal monitoring.

 

Read more on;https://www.sportupdates.co.uk