Alyssa's Birth

In April, 1996 after a perfectly normal uneventful pregnancy, I went into labour. I laboured for approx. 20 + hours in hospital, with some labour taking place at home. After no success at trying to push the baby out on my own, as she was turned in a difficult position, the drs decided to attempt to turn her with the aid of a vacuum extractor. This device was hooked up to an electrical unit which applied the pressure. When turned on the nurse commented on how it sounded as if it were "going to take off". The attempt to turn our baby failed. The drs then proceeded to try to turn with the forceps, this also failed. Finally, the drs decided that I would have to have a c-section. Before leaving the birthing room, a nurse listened for a heart beat and found one. I had an epidural a few hours prior, so there was not much preparation required. My husband put on scrubs and accompanied me into the operating room.

After much anticipation our baby was finally going to be born! She was born at 4:53 am. The dr exclaimed "What a conehead!". Sadly there was no cry. My husband, having a better view and state of mind, kept repeating to me that "no matter what happens we will always have each other". I had no clue what he was so worried about. I thought perhaps she just needed her airway cleared. I was "closed up" and wheeled into the hall, where my family dr proceeded to tell me that there were complications. I asked her how serious, and she told me "pretty serious". I was so tired from the labour and delivery, I decided to sleep, feeling that babies just didn't die in this day and age. That she would be okay.

When I woke, my husband was standing beside my bed, crying. I knew then, she had not made it. He asked me if I wanted to hold her. I told her that I didn't want to then, I wanted to be more awake and alert to remember it more clearly.

Our beautiful 9 lb 14 oz daughter was brought to us a couple of hours later. She was perfect in every way, except for the coning of her head. I will never forget how unbelievable soft her skin felt. She looked so much like a combination of my husband and I. It was heartwrenching to let her go. It was the only time we saw her. Hello and goodbye all in a matter of minutes...

We were asked if we wanted an autopsy performed as they were uncertain as to the cause of death. We agreed.

After months of wondering what exactly happened, we received the autopsy report, and reviewed it with the local coroner. The cause of death was "intraventricular hemorrhaging". There was also bleeding beneath the scalp. He felt very strongly the vacuum extractor was at fault. The day of her stillbirth he confiscated the device from the hospital. He sent it to a government agency responsible for testing the safety of medical devices and found that the unit was exceeding the pressure than the gauge on the unit showed. We couldn't believe the device we had been told in Lamaze class that was "perfectly safe" had taken our much wanted and loved baby.