There's no longer a heartbeat': the couple whose twins were stillborn and the birth keeper' they blame

"Chirwa was in too much pain to speak she was in active labour. But she remembers feeling surprised. Why, Chirwa recalls, is she asking us not to mention that we were trying to have a home birth? This was the first pregnancy for Chirwa and her husband, Chifundo Bingala. Both are originally from Malawi, but moved to Cape Town, South Africa, for work: Chirwa found employment as a cleaner, and Bingala as a tailor."

"When Chirwa went past her due date, to 43 weeks, Collins told the couple via text that such a late-term birth can be normal. When Chirwa went into labour, Collins arrived at her house after midnight, turned off the lights and fell asleep. At about 2am, Chirwa and Bingala roused Collins, who briefly checked her before going back to sleep. Around 5am, they woke Collins up a second time. She checked Chirwa again, and saw a baby's foot protruding from her vagina."

"Now, in a silence punctuated only by Chirwa's groans, Collins drove the couple to Retreat Day hospital. It was the closest hospital to their house, in the township of Westlake. But it specialised in low-risk care and wasn't suited for more serious emergencies. And Chirwa was very much a serious emergency. Her baby was footling breech one of the most difficult types of breech to deliver"

Ernesta Chirwa, 30, went into active labour on 15 February 2022 in Cape Town. She and her husband arranged a home birth with Caitlyn Collins in exchange for clothing. Collins arrived after midnight, turned off the lights and slept, briefly checked Chirwa at about 2am, then slept again. Around 5am Collins found a baby's foot protruding and drove the couple to Retreat Day hospital in Westlake. Retreat Day specialised in low-risk care and was not suited for major emergencies. The baby presented as a footling breech, a particularly dangerous presentation requiring urgent specialist care.

Read at www.theguardian.com