Grieving mum slams hospital where her baby girl died

2022-12-08

Grieving mother slams hospital for missing the warning signs before her baby girl tragically died – as report finds management of the ‘high-risk pregnancy was too casual’

Mum blames hospital for missing the ‘signs’ her unborn baby was in trouble
Shontell Falconer gave birth to her third child Rahni at Mackay Base Hospital
But the baby girl died after one day due to staff not diagnosing pre-eclampsia
The condition can be life threatening and comes with high blood pressure signs
The mother had high blood pressure and said a doctor was reluctant to test her
If the complication had been diagnosed earlier the girl ‘could have been saved’

A bereaved mum has blamed the hospital where her newborn daughter was born, for failing to prevent her tragic death just one day later.

Shontell Falconer is furious at Mackay Hospital in Central Queensland after staff missed the warning signs of her deadly pre-eclampsia diagnosis before she gave birth to Rahni in 2020.

The condition, which occurs during pregnancy causes high blood pressure which can fatally impact the liver, kidney and brain of the mother or child, if left untreated.

Mrs Falconer, who has two boys – River and Rory – had already experienced the life-threatening illness three years early when pregnant with River.

He was born five weeks early via caesarean section – and Mrs Falconer urged the hospital staff to look at her medical history so Rahni could also be saved.

In the final weeks of her pregnancy, the worried mum went to hospital suffering from high blood pressure but was sent home immediately after the test.

‘Now we look back it was them failing to pick up that pre-eclampsia was well and truely setting in and [they] needed to do something,’ she told A Current Affair.

‘When we presented at the hospital the first time I should have been admitted and she would have been out so much sooner.

‘She could have been saved. this should be her in my arms,’ Mrs Falconer added holding a pink teddy bear with Rahni’s name on it.

Two weeks later she returned to the hospital in distress because she couldn’t feel Rahni moving.

Mrs Falconer received an emergency caesarean but little Rahni could not be saved.

Mackay Hospital (pictured) officials admitted in a ‘root cause analysis’ more should have been done to protect the infant

‘She went too long without oxygen and there was no real brain function left,’ husband Stuart Falconer said.

‘And then they sort of say, ‘You’re gonna make a choice. You either take her off the breathing tubes, or leave her on, because she’s not gonna get better’.’

Hospital officials admitted in a ‘root cause analysis’ more should have been done to protect the infant.

‘We determined that aspects of your care which contributed to the death of Rahni, fell below expected standards,’ the findings said.

Mrs Falconer received an emergency caesarean but little Rahni could not be saved

‘There was a missed opportunity to make a diagnosis of pre-eclampsia,’ the report concluded, adding that ‘management of this high-risk pregnancy was too casual’.

Earlier this year, another report into the hospital’s gynaecology and obstetric services, revealed three babies had died after getting substandard care at the facility, while other woman had suffered physical and psychological harm as a result.

Queensland’s Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said ‘some of the failings at that hospital defy belief’.

‘I’ve met and (have) spoken to women in their early 20s who will never have a child again; women who lost babies,’ Mr Crisafulli said.

‘The pain and the suffering that they have endured, that was heartbreaking and nothing short of getting justice will cut it in the eyes of Queenslanders.’

Shontell Falconer (pictured with husband Stuart) is furious at Mackay Hospital in Central Queensland after staff missed the warning signs of her deadly pre-eclampsia diagnosis before she gave birth to baby Rahni in 2020

A spokesperson for Mackay Hospital and Health Service has unreservedly apologised to the women and their families who experienced substandard obstetrics and gynaecology care at Mackay Hospital.

‘Mackay HHS continues to communicate with and offer clinical support to women who have come forward.

‘We’re also working in partnership with women to implement recommendations made by the obstetrics and gynaecology investigation into Mackay Hospital.

‘While nothing can change the past, the experiences of the women and their families are leading to improvements for other women coming into our care.’

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