Mum returns to thank medical team who saved her baby's life

Mum returns to thank medical team who saved her baby's life

21 January 2015

AN Ardglass mother whose six-month old baby’s life was saved after she suffered a cardiac arrest said she will never be able to thank those involved enough.

Conac O’Connor was at a GP surgery at the Downe Hospital on January 7 with baby Eabha when her daughter stopped breathing.

As a result of the quick actions of GPs Hugh McGoldrick and Damian O’Connor, surgery nurses and Downe Hospital staff, Eabha was resuscitated before being transferred to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.

Conac says Eabha is alive today because the people her daughter needed to save her life when she stopped breathing were close at hand. She also has no doubt that had her daughter stopped breathing while she was at home, the baby would not be alive today.

Despite the happy ending, Conac is alarmed that it took an ambulance 40 minutes to respond to a 999 call made from her GP surgery when her daughter stopped breathing.

“Such a delay is simply not good enough. Eabha was so lucky the GPs and hospital staff were immediately available to help her. What happened to my daughter highlights the importance of the Downe Hospital to the people of this 

area and the need for an Ambulance Service which can respond promptly to emergency calls” she continued.

Recalling the events of January 7, the Ardglass mum of two said “time appeared to stand still” when Eabha’s tiny heart stopped beating.

“I took Eabha to the GP as I was concerned about a wheeze in her chest which she had had since November and resulted in her being admitted to hospital for a few days. The doctor at the surgery sounded her chest and put on a nebuliser,” Conac recalled.

“It appeared Eabha was breathing from her tummy and then she went white. Her head tilted and her eyes rolled back. She had stopped breathing. A nurse who was close by saw what had happened and alerted Dr. O’Connor who in turn called for Dr. McGoldrick.”

The Ardglass mum said Dr. McGoldrick called for the cardiac crash team and staff from the Downe’s A&E department and a paediatrician who was on duty at the hospital rushing to help.

“Dr. McGoldrick worked with Eabha until the others arrived and helped save her life. I could not take in what was happening. The events unfolding in front of me were surreal,” said Conac who was taken to another room to be with her mum Grainne as staff worked with her daughter.

The Ardglass mum said she knew a 999 call had been made, and said the 40 minutes that passed before the ambulance arrived “seemed like an age.”

She continued: “I was conscious there are no facilities or specialised equipment for babies at the Downe. The expertise Eabha needed when she stopped breathing was close to hand which saved her life. If the GPs and nurses had not been there Eabha may well not have lived. The relief I felt when the nurse told me Eabha was breathing is hard to describe.

“The traumatic experienced illustrates the need for the Downe Hospital and the availability of emergency ambulances in the Down area. The Ambulance Service needs to ensure there is adequate cover to respond to medical emergencies in our area.”

Baby Eabha was moved to the Royal, with mum Conac in the front of the ambulance and a paramedic, doctor and nurse in the rear with the baby, her mum explained.

“When we arrived in Belfast, staff were waiting for us and took Eabha to a room where she was examined and her oxygen levels checked and monitored. She was discharged the following Saturday,” said Conac.

She added: “We can’t thank the GPs and hospital staff enough for saving Eabha’s life. We shudder to think what would have happened if all the people Eabha needed had not been there.

“We are so thankful there was a happy ending. It was a nightmare to see my daughter’s lifeless body. I will never be able to thank all those who saved Eabha’s life. Our family is so lucky they were able to respond immediately and bring her back.”