A baby died after doctors told a mother her life-threatening internal bleeding was probably ‘trapped wind’, an inquest has been told.

Kimberley Newark, 31, went to the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, suffering from excruciating pain in her abdomen on September 14, 2024, when she was 34 weeks pregnant.

Despite the severity of the pain, an inquest heard maternity staff put her symptoms down to trapped wind and gave her painkillers and tablets to treat colic.

She was later transferred to a ward where she was kept under observation.

But a short time later she began suffering more severe stabbing pains in her abdomen which left her in ‘agony’.

When medics examined her and found the baby’s heart rate had dropped alarmingly, Ms Newark was rushed into theatre for an emergency caesarean-section.

While delivering baby Olivia, doctors discovered that instead of ‘trapped wind’ Ms Newark had suffered a rupture of a major blood vessel, the splenic artery.

That caused her to lose about 11 litres of blood.

Olivia was born via caesarean-section but was not breathing and was pale, unresponsive and ‘floppy’.

She was resuscitated and transferred to a specialist baby unit where she was later found to have suffered severe hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy – a condition that occurs when a baby’s brain does not receive enough oxygen or blood flow around the time of birth.

Ms Newark was taken into intensive care, put in a coma and she and newborn Olivia were later transferred to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

Tests later showed Olivia had no brain activity.

Doctors broke the news to Ms Newark, and she and her partner Yann Trupiano took the ‘heartbreaking’ decision to remove ventilator support.

Olivia died on September 19, 2024, just five days after being born.

Ms Newark was so ill she had to undergo a blood transfusion and she remained in hospital for a month, before finally being discharged on October 17.

Today an inquest in Horsham, West Sussex, was told the couple had repeatedly raised concerns about Ms Newark’s deteriorating health in the days leading to her hospital admission.

The hearing was told that as well as suffering from anaemia, constant nausea and exhaustion, she also had stomach and back pain.

When the pain became excruciating and she fainted at her home, possibly falling on to her stomach, the couple dialled 111 and Mr Trupiano drove her to hospital.

On arrival, Ms Newark told doctors she was in extreme discomfort, had vomited, suffered diarrhoea and was in almost constant severe pain in her abdomen.

She was examined in the A&E department and, when it was found she had low blood pressure, she was moved to a side cubicle and seen by a consultant.

Ms Newark, who has two older daughters, was told the pain she was suffering was most likely caused by ‘trapped wind’ and she was given Buscopan – an antispasmodic stomach medication – and paracetamol.

She was admitted and transferred to the Bolney Ward – an antenatal-postnatal unit – and Mr Trupiano was sent home and told to return the following day.

But less than an hour later her condition deteriorated further and the pain began to get much worse.

In a written statement, she said: ‘The pain became unbearable. I could no longer take it and screamed in agony. I pressed the bell.

‘I was told to be quiet as there were other people on the ward who were sleeping.’

Shortly afterwards she fainted and was aided back into the bed before tests were carried out.

Medics found Olivia’s heartbeat had dropped to 40 beats per minute and a decision was taken to carry out an emergency caesarean-section.

Dr Dominic Yu, an A&E consultant who examined Ms Newark on her arrival at the Princess Royal, told the inquest there was nothing to suggest she was suffering from internal bleeding or a splenic artery rupture.

In a statement read out to the court, Ms Newark said Olivia was ‘loved’ and the couple had looked forward to her birth with ‘hope, joy and excitement’.

She added: ‘We had looked forward to [Olivia] coming home. Although her life was very short she had a profound effect on our lives. We think about her every day.

‘We remember her especially on her birthday when we light a candle for her and hold her close in our hearts. We carry her with us always. She will forever be our daughter, our hope and our beautiful little girl.’

When surgeons at the Princess Royal discovered internal bleeding during the caesarean-section, they called acute general surgeon Christie Swaminathan, who was on duty in Brighton.

He travelled to Haywards Heath and carried out emergency surgery on Ms Newark.

Dr Swaminathan told the inquest he immediately suspected a rupture or pseudo-aneurysm of the splenic artery.

He said the young mother was ‘most likely’ suffering from a small bleed from the splenic artery that became a ‘catastrophic’ haemorrhage when the abdomen was opened up and abdominal pressure was lost.

Mr Swaminathan explained the pressure within the abdomen could help suppress an internal bleed that then often worsens when surgery is carried out.

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust maternity services are under investigation following a review commissioned by former health secretary Wes Streeting.

A full review of the maternity services will be chaired by independent investigator Donna Ockenden and is expected to assess the cases of more than 1,000 families from 2018 onwards.

It comes after up to 15 bereaved families raised concerns about the deaths of their babies between 2021 and 2023.

Previously Ms Newark and Mr Trupiano said their grief was made ‘so much worse’ by learning that other families had also lost babies.

The couple believed hospital staff missed vital warning signs and have instructed lawyers Slater and Gordon to represent them at the inquest.

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust said two reviews of Olivia’s care had been carried out.

Earlier Dr Maggie Davies, chief nurse at the trust, said: ‘We are desperately sorry for the loss of Olivia, and the trauma and grief we know this has caused everyone in the family.’

The hearing continues.