Distress of mum who died in labour

Two medical professionals have given conflicting evidence surrounding the death of a woman who died after going into cardiac arrest while giving birth in Whanganui District Hospital.
The evidence emerged at an inquest into the death of Tonia Nicole Newton, who died while giving birth to her fourth child, Romeo, on October 6, 2008.
The Palmerston North inquest heard from the officer in charge of the case and three witnesses, including two people key to the investigation: Michelle Elston, Mrs Newton's independent midwife, and Lenna Young, Whanganui District Health Board's head of midwifery.
Ms Elston was with Mrs Newton when she first began showing signs of serious distress, near the end of her second stage of labour.
It was claimed Mrs Newton said she was feeling sick, and that she "couldn't do it anymore", but Ms Elston said that was not an uncommon sentiment from expectant mothers in the last stages of labour.
Ms Elston said there was a "very sudden change in situation" and Mrs Newton's chest and face went an obvious blue colour, and she slumped forward from her kneeling position, ending up with her face in the pillow.
Ms Elston instructed her backup midwife, Kim Allen, who was also in the room at the time, to push the emergency bell, which brought Ms Young into the room.
Ms Elston and Ms Young have conflicting recollections of what happened next.
Ms Elston said she and Ms Allen positioned Mrs Newton on her left-hand side, as was advised for pregnant women to ensure better oxygen flow for the baby.
However, Ms Young said when she arrived seconds after the bell was rung, Mrs Newton was lying on her right side.
She also said that as she entered the room, Ms Elston told her Mrs Newton was having a panic attack and was holding her breath. Ms Elston denied these claims.
Ms Young went to check Mrs Newton's pulse and her responses while Ms Elston checked on the baby's progress.
It was during this time that the child was born.
Over the next few minutes, between 10 and 14 medical staff started to arrive at Mrs Newton's room.
A cardiac team attempted to resuscitate Mrs Newton with bag and mask ventilation, but it wasn't until a consultant anaesthetist arrived that there was someone with enough specialist training to intubate Mrs Newton.
Both witnesses were cross-examined, including by Mrs Newton's mother Karen McIntyre, who attended the inquest with Mrs Newton's father-in-law Peter Newton.
Cross-examination revealed inadequacies in the hospital's processes, including the bell-alert system, where the emergency drug tray was kept, and the specialties of the personnel assigned to the resuscitation team.
Earlier in the inquest, Whanganui District Health Board's counsel Adam Lewis said the health board welcomed the opportunity the inquest provided to clarify what happened during Mrs Newton's resuscitation.
Mr Lewis said there was some confusion in the hospital's internal investigations, for which he apologised, saying it could have been done better.
It was the first such investigation undertaken by the hospital, he said. He went on to say that Mrs Newton received the appropriate bag and mask ventilation and chest compressions but their co-ordination should have been better. New processes had been implemented at the hospital since Mrs Newton's death.
However, he also said that the size of an amniotic fluid embolism - where amniotic fluid, fetal hair and other cells and debris enter the maternal circulation, causing cardio-respiratory collapse - was so big, resuscitation could not have saved Mrs Newton.
The inquest is expected to continue today and tomorrow, before reconvening in June, as some witnesses are out of the country.