Mother-in-law recounts woman’s shock death after giving birth at home

A mother-in-law has recounted the heartbreaking moment a woman died after giving birth at home, with her midwives now facing court.

The mother-in-law of a 36-year-old Melbourne woman who died after giving birth in a pool of water has recounted the heartbreaking experience to a court.

Caroline Lovell died on January 24, 2012, in hospital, about 24 hours after going into labour in her Watsonia home.

The midwives who attended to the homebirth, Melody Bourne and Gaye Demanuele, are fighting charges of causing her death through negligence in the Melbourne Magistrates Court.

In a committal hearing on Friday, Ms Lovell’s mother-in-law Brenda Lovell told of her shock at arriving at the home to find an ambulance and a fire brigade.

“I can vividly remember where I was, I can vividly remember that day,” she told the court, more than nine years later.

Her son had called her about 10am “elated” with the news his wife had given birth to a healthy baby girl.

Caroline Lovell and her partner were elated when she gave birth to a healthy baby girl before she died the next morning following complications. Picture: Supplied

Before the birth Brenda had attended a birthing party for Caroline, where all of the guests tied little cotton scraps of fabric around their wrists to wear until the baby was born.

Caroline had shared with her that she didn’t want to give birth in a hospital for her second child after her birth plan wasn’t followed for her first child.

“That was one of her absolute joys, was to birth the baby herself,” Brenda said.

But during the birth a 5cm tear formed and she went into a haemorrhage that wasn’t picked up by the midwives, police allege.

She went into cardiac arrest and stopped breathing before dying in hospital, prosecutor Patrick Bourke QC told the court on Thursday.

Caroline Lovell died in hospital early on January 24, 2012, after giving birth in her home. Picture: Supplied

Triple-0 was called at 10.28am and she died in hospital about 12.30am the next morning.

Caroline’s husband Nick Lovell told the court on Friday that she put a lot of research into her decision to have the birth at home.

“She was informed about it and did a lot of investigating of it, reading about it,” he said.

Caroline went into a postpartum haemorrhage after the birth of their first child in hospital in Geelong, but he said he did not know that until a subsequent coronial inquest.

After she wasn’t able to breastfeed after her first birth, which she attributed to hospital decisions, and felt her care plan wasn’t followed, Caroline was determined to have the second birth at home, the court was told.

The hearing continues.

Originally published as Mother-in-law recounts woman’s shock death after giving birth at home