A mother died shortly after the birth of her fifth child due to hospital staff failing to “appropriately escalate” signs of a peritoneal hemorrhage, according to a coroner’s report.
Laura-Jane Seaman, 36, was breastfeeding in her hospital bed with plans to go home following the “uneventful” vaginal birth of her baby at Broomfield Hospital, in Essex, U.K., on Dec. 21, 2022, reported the BBC.
However, two hours later, the mom from Witham, England (around 50 miles northeast of London) began to feel unwell and asked the hospital staff, “Am I bleeding?”
On Dec. 13, 2024, a coroner’s report concluded that “basic failures” to escalate her concerns led to her death from a “massive peritoneal hemorrhage” — just two days after giving birth.
Prior to her passing, Seaman begged staff to “not let me die” and told them she was “gushing,” according to the BBC.
Her complaints of feeling dizzy and experiencing numbness in her limbs were put down to dehydration. However, she continued to deteriorate and was given just a cookie when she lost consciousness.
Seaman later fell, which was categorized by staff as a “faint” rather than escalated to the critical care team — even though The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust in charge of her care had been aware she was at high risk of heavy bleeding postpartum, the BBC stated.
“There were multiple missed opportunities to escalate and treat” Seaman, the coroner report stated.
Her heavy bleeding went undetected as no examination of her abdomen took place and a blood test that would’ve raised concerns about a drop in her hemoglobin was not chased for its results, the report added.
Seaman bled for hours before undergoing emergency surgery which uncovered four to five liters of blood in her abdomen, the BBC previously reported.
She died on Dec. 23, 2022, having suffered complications from the intra-abdominal hemorrhage.
Seaman’s family told the outlet “We urge all those involved in Laura-Jane’s care to reflect on the failures in her treatment. Nothing gave her more joy than being a mum. That’s all she ever wanted to be and that’s what she did best.”
The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust told PEOPLE the coroner’s review will inform their efforts to improve maternity services at the Trust.
They will be responding to the Coroner’s Prevention Of report with a timetable of actions by Feb. 7, 2025.
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“We extend our sincerest sympathies and condolences to the family of Laura-Jane,” said Diane Sarkar, Chief Nursing and Quality Officer for Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.
“Her tragic death has affected us all at the Trust greatly,” she continued. “Following investigations into the circumstances that led to her death, our focus has been on improving training in recognizing the early signs of deterioration and escalation routes in our maternity services to prevent this from happening again.”