Breastfeeding Baby Dies After Midwife Leaves Room for 25 Minutes, Coroner Says Death Was Preventable

A tragic incident has come to light after a newborn baby died following a midwife's absence during the critical postpartum period. The coroner has ruled the death preventable and criticized the midwife for failing to maintain proper vigilance.

A Critical Moment in the Room

The baby was born in 2015 at Palmerston North Hospital. The midwife, Lesa Haynes, was assisting the parents with breastfeeding when she left the room to complete administrative tasks. During this time, the baby stopped feeding and was found unresponsive when Haynes returned 25 minutes later. Despite immediate efforts to resuscitate the infant, she suffered irreversible brain damage and was later taken off life support.

Coroner's Findings Highlight Systemic Failures

In a 2023 inquest, Coroner Bruce Hesketh found that Haynes had not provided an acceptable standard of maternity care. He stated that it was inappropriate for her to have left the room during the critical skin-to-skin contact and first breastfeeding period. He noted that the baby's death was preventable and that Haynes had been