A DISTRAUGHT mother has claimed her one-day-old baby could still be alive if Basildon Hospital had not postponed the caesarean section.

During an inquest into the death of Ennis Pecaku his mum, Emma-Louise Davies, criticised the care she received.

In a statement read to the coroner she said: “We as a family are struggling following the death of Ennis, when it could have been completely avoidable if the c-section had been carried out as planned.”

Essex Coroner’s Court heard Ennis was in the breech position.

An attempt to turn him head first on September 17 for a more straight forward birth failed.

On September 26 a c-section was booked but this was postponed due to over capacity at the hospital.

The next day Ms Davies went into spontaneous labour.

Senior Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray heard Ms Davies had called the hospital at 4pm to say her contractions had started, but had just been told to monitor them and ring back if anything changed.

When her waters broke she phoned again and was invited to come to hospital, but in her statement she said it took a while for the midwives to take action.

She said: “I was very distressed and started shouting.

“I kept saying ‘he is going to die unless they did the c-section straight away’. A midwife was looking for a heartbeat but couldn’t find one.”

Ennis was born and taken for resuscitation immediately after having gone without oxygen for a period of time.

Coroner’s officer Kirsty Roberts said: “He was transferred to the

neonatal care unit, but sadly he died there the next day.”

Ms Davies said: “We were told Ennis should be allowed to die, because his brain injury was so bad he wouldn’t be able to walk or talk.

“We decided in the end it was the best thing for him.

“Before I was discharged, the midwives said they would come and see me, but none of them did.

“I felt like they were avoiding me in case I asked difficult questions.

“I had to ring my GP for my six week check-up, and he said I could bring the baby in and he would see both of us.

“The hospital had not even told my GP what happened.

A provisional cause of death was given as asphyxiation during vaginal breech delivery.

The inquest, which began on Wednesday, was due to conclude today.