Baby dies after mom 'faints'
2006-07-11 09:18
Pretoria - The family of a Pretoria North woman who was 30 weeks pregnant and lost her baby, are considering legal action against department of health after an emergency worker failed to treat her properly.
The emergency worker was called to assist Vanessa van Greunen, 18, after she started having convulsions.
The emergency worker however, said she was only suffering from a fainting fit and that this was normal during pregnancy.
Van Greunen gave birth to a stillborn boy on Thursday.
Doctors were of the opinion that a condition known as pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy) had led to the convulsions.
Difficulty breathing
"I cannot remember a lot about that night, except that I was badly bloated and had pains in the chest," she said.
Van Greunen's mother, Charmaine, told that she had to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when her daughter started having convulsions.
She recounted how her daughter doubled up in pain and she was foaming at the mouth.
"I could see that she had difficulty breathing and she was blue around the mouth. Afterwards she was very confused."
According to Charmaine van Greunen she repeatedly had to explain to the emergency worker that her daughter had suffered convulsions and that she had to bring her around.
The man, however, believed it was a fainting fit and told her not to lie on her right side.
"He asked us to leave her room and asked her if she wanted to go to hospital. She didn't, because she is afraid of hospitals."
"He convinced us that it (the fit) was normal and happened to many women."
She said he did not arrive with a medical bag and did not take her daughter's blood pressure.
Van Greunen took her daughter to a private hospital the next morning after she again suffered convulsions.
The doctors diagnosed pre-eclampsia and a scan at Pretoria Academic Hospital indicated that the baby had died.
"We could see the little face and the hands being held up, but he was already dead. I cried a lot and couldn't believe it was true. Maybe they could have done something, but it was too late," said Charmaine van Greunen.
Anina Steele, spokesperson for the Health Professions Council (HPC) said they would investigate the case should a charge be laid against the emergency worker.