How an inquest into one stillbirth is saving lives

Michelle and Barry Rocks on TV discussing their loss.
Michelle and Barry Rocks on TV discussing their loss.  

A ground-breaking court case that has focussed solely on one stillborn baby has already helped to save the lives of other babies. 

Cara Rocks was stillborn at a County Londonderry hospital in Ireland in 2013 after a number of failings from the hospital.

Michelle Rocks, baby Cara's mother, told an inquest that she repeatedly asked doctors for a caesarean section while she was a patient at the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine. But medics proceeded with a natural delivery, despite her wishes.

Tragically, when a heartbeat couldn't be detected during the labour, an emergency caesarean section was ordered – but it was too late for baby Cara, who was born sleeping.

The court heard that Michelle had been a good candidate for an elective caesarean because she had already had one child by C-section. On top of this, an assessment had shown that Cara was a big baby and was in the breech position.

In his findings, the coroner said that Michelle had made her wishes clear and that medics at the hospital should have respected her decision to have a C-section.

Thanking Michelle and her husband Barry, the coroner said that the death of baby Cara had brought about positive change in antennal care in Northern Island because medics had learned valuable lessons from the case.

Emerging from the inquest, Michelle and Barry told the media that they would never forget their "little angel".

"Cara has not been forgotten and we, as her parents, have persisted on seeking the truth.

"We have done what we had to do to get the truth."