When Alex Barr was 42 weeks pregnant with her daughter, Marnie, she knew her body was telling her something wasn’t right. At Poole Hospital, Alex presented with an elevated heart rate and signs of bleeding – symptoms that should always prompt careful assessment. Yet her concerns were dismissed, and she was sent home, still heavily overdue and increasingly anxious.
Not long after returning home, Alex felt a sudden rush of warmth between her legs. When she looked down and saw blood, she immediately knew her baby was in danger. She called 999, but by the time she reached hospital, it was too late. Her daughter, Marnie, had died.
Alex describes feeling unheard and pressured into continuing a “natural” labour she no longer felt safe pursuing.
“I felt bullied. It felt like normal birth at all costs.”
Her grief has been compounded by the knowledge that the warning signs were present – but not acted upon.
Fighting for safer maternity care
Alex Barr decided to share her heart-breaking story about the tragic loss of unborn baby daughter with The Sunday Times with one goal in mind – to improve maternity unit safety.
Alex’s bravery has been rewarded because in the wake of an investigation by Sunday Times health editor Shaun Lintern, the Nursing and Midwifery Council has written to universities warning them against promoting ‘normal birth’ over medical interventions.
Enable Law associate Jennifer Janes, who represents Alex, told The Sunday Times: “Sadly, this approach of normalising abnormal findings and avoiding medical intervention is a common theme, often resulting in the death or injury of babies, and we are deeply concerned that it is a cultural issue starting with the education of midwives.”
How Enable Law helps
We support parents who have experienced avoidable harm before, during or shortly after birth. Our team listens, advises, investigates, and helps families secure answers and accountability. Most importantly, we approach every case with compassion and respect for what families have been through. To speak to Jennifer Janes or another member of our baby loss team, contact us on 0800 044 8488 or fill in our contact form so we can arrange to call you at a time convenient to you.
