Baby died at 34 weeks as hospital staff 'ignored' mom with high risk pregnancy

An inquest has revealed that Northern Ireland hospital staff "ignored" a pregnant woman and her severe pain in the days leading up to her baby's death at 34 weeks.

Key Takeaways:

• Martina Tierney was experiencing severe abdominal pain when she went to Craigavon Area Hospital in Northern Ireland in October 2021, at 34 weeks pregnant.

• Two days after she was admitted, her baby, Mallaidh, died.

• Despite Tierney's requests for scans and a C-section, her extreme pain, and her previous C-section scar rupture, an inquest has found that hospital staff "ignored" her pleas for help.

The Backstory:

Martina Tierney went to the hospital in October 2021 with severe pain at 34 weeks pregnant. Her pregnancy had been considered high risk, and she was admitted to the Maternity Unit in Craigavon Area Hospital on October 8.

However, she did not see a consultant despite her pain becoming "progressively worse" between then and October 10, when her baby was found to no longer have a heartbeat.

According to the BBC, during a previous pregnancy, Tierney had suffered an internal rupture of a C-section scar, and she believed that it was happening again. She had unexplained pain with fetal movements that she classified as an eight to nine out of 10.

On the evening of October 9, one day into her hospital admission, she requested a C-section but was told it would be better to wait until the morning.

"I physically couldn't get up out of bed and the pain was just through the roof," she explained.

That night, she "couldn't feel the baby move," and asked doctors to check on her.

But the next morning, when they checked on baby Mallaidh, she no longer had a heartbeat. "Our beautiful baby had passed away," said Tierney.

The Details:

Tierney testified that she requested scans and a C-section while at the hospital, but said her requests were "ignored, not listened to and not acted upon."

There were other issues during her hospitalizations, including that staff allegedly recorded her pain levels inaccurately and a midwife was recorded "being in two places at once."

Tierney said she was treated as though she were a "hindrance" to the staff and that the staff acted "accusatory" of her and her husband. She also said they are now being accused of "looking [for] compensation" when in reality, they want to prevent this same situation from happening to someone else.

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Mallaidh Tierney died at a maternity unit at a hospital in October 2021 after her mother Martina Tierney was admitted with severe abdominal pain. bbc.in/4mPu9kw

6:12 PM · Apr 27, 2026

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Her husband, Ryan, said he and Tierney are "overcome with grief" as there will "always be an empty seat at our dinner table."

During the inquest, an attorney said the doctor who was attending claimed Tierney did not mention a previous C-section scar rupture, but Tierney maintained that she did.

"Given I was a high risk pregnancy," said Tierney, "my pain increased; I think it was overlooked."

She added, "I have so much guilt and I feel I should have done more and I should have shouted more."

Dr. Gillian McKeown testified that she saw Tierney on October 6 and found that she been in "pain for a number of weeks which we couldn't explain." McKeown confirmed that there was a risk of uterine rupture with any previous C-section.

Tierney had a C-section scheduled for October 12, but McKeown was never informed of Tierney's hospitalization, saying it was not standard practice to notify the doctor "unless there's a clinical concern." She said she did not think that she needed to be called.

The inquest into the death of baby Mallaidh is ongoing.

Zoom Out:

A recent report on NHS maternity units found a poor level of care and little effort to improve the quality of care despite repeated maternity scandals.

“We have seen maternity and neonatal services trying to respond in difficult circumstances and dealing with competing pressures but too often failing to deliver the safe care that women, families and babies expect and deserve, at times with devastating consequences," said Lady Amos, who conducted the review.

Craigavon Area Hospital, where Tierney was seen, is part of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, one of the main providers of health care in Northern Ireland. It operates under the NHS; however, it is not included in Amos' review, which is focused on NHS trusts in England.