Family’s agony over 17 year-old mother who died after she was starved of oxygen giving birth

The parents of a 17-year-old new mother who died of a cardiac arrest after a traumatic C-section have called for ‘lessons to be learnt’ from her death.

Teegan Barnard suffered a cardiac arrest around two hours after delivering her healthy baby boy, Parker, at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester on September 9, 2019.

She was starved of oxygen and suffered a severe brain injury before being discharged from hospital to spend her final days at the family home in Havant, Hants.

She died on 7 October, 2019, but she could have survived if her doctors had relieved air pressure in her chest caused by her being rolled over, an inquest into her death heard.

Speaking after the conclusion of her inquest on Wednesday, her heartbroken mother Abbie Hallawell said her only hope was that her daughter’s death wasn’t ‘totally in vain’.

“We know nothing can bring Teegan back or fill the void in our lives,” she said.

“All we can do now is ensure Parker grows up fully understanding what he meant to Teegan, how much she loved him and how proud she would have been of him.

“Teegan may not be with us but she will always be a part of our family.

“All we can hope for now is that her death wasn’t totally in vain and improvements are made to help other mums.

“We wouldn’t wish the hurt and pain we continue to live with on anyone else.”

West Sussex Coroner’s Court heard a severe airflow issue led to Teegan Barnard suffering fatal brain damage.

But a surgeon claimed it could have been fixed by the emergency insertion of needles and doctors should have recognised that ‘air was in the wrong place’, putting pressure on her heart.

Abbie added: “It’s almost impossible to find the words to describe the hurt and pain our family feel following Teegan’s death.

“The last three years have been a living nightmare which no parent should have to go through. Our lives are not the same without Teegan.

“She was such a loving and caring girl who enjoyed things people her age did such as meeting friends and horse riding.

“She had an infectious personality and a wonderful smile. It’s devastating to think she’ll never get to fulfill her potential in life.

“We’d like to thank the coroner for carrying out such a thorough investigation and listening to our concerns.

“While the inquest and listening to the evidence as to why Teegan died has been incredibly traumatic it’s something we needed to do to honour her memory.”

Rebecca Brown, specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell who represented the family at the inquest, today said: “Understandably attempting to come to terms with what happened and the incredibly harrowing circumstances surrounding Teegan’s death has been incredibly difficult for all of Teegan’s family.

“For more than three years they’ve had a number of concerns about the events that unfolded in the lead up to her death with the inquest identifying worrying issues in the care Teegan received.

“While nothing can make up for what they’ve been through we’re pleased that we have at least been able to provide Abbie and Trevor with the answers they deserve.

“Sadly it’s too late for Teegan and her family but it’s now vital that lessons are learned from what happened to her to improve patient safety.

“We continue to support the family at this distressing time as we also continue to campaign for improvements in maternity safety nationally.”