Newborn baby who passed away one day after his mum was found dead on hospital floor will be buried in her arms
Mum-of-three Marie Downey gave birth to Darragh at Cork University Maternity Hospital last Saturday before tragedy struck
A NEWBORN baby who died a day after his mum was found dead on the floor in her hospital room will be buried in her arms.
Mum-of-three Marie Downey gave birth to Darragh at on Saturday.
Ms Downey, 36, was healthy and well in her private room at 7am on Monday morning when staff checked in with her.
But less than an hour later, doctors doing their rounds found her .
It is believed she had been breastfeeding Darragh when she fell out of the bed, and was declared dead in the room despite doctors’ efforts to revive her.
The badly-injured baby was rushed to the intensive care unit but tragically .
The double tragedy shocked and stunned medical staff in what is regarded as one of Ireland’s top maternity hospitals.
Heartbroken pals of laboratory technician Marie, who also had sons James and Sean, yesterday described her as “a great mum who adored her boys”.
And a colleague added: “We can’t believe Marie is gone. She was always happy and had a friendly word for everyone.
“She adored her two little boys and her husband Kieran. She was so looking forward to the birth of her new baby.
“Everyone is finding it hard to believe that both she and her baby have died in such a tragic way and we are all finding it difficult to come to terms with the suddenness and the sadness of it all”.
'TRAGIC OCCURRENCE'
A postmortem examination of Marie’s body was completed on Tuesday and the results have not been released.
However, it is understood there is nothing suspicious about her death, which is believed to have been from natural causes, like a neurological fit.
It has been described as “a medical episode” and a “tragic occurrence” by the hospital.
Cork City Coroner, Philip Comyn, has called in the services of Dr Peter Kelehan, a respected perinatal pathologist, to do a postmortem on four-day-old Darragh’s body in Cork University Hospital today.
And the are preparing a full file for the City Coroner who will hold an inquest into the deaths of Marie and tot Darragh in the next few months.
Funeral arrangements will be announced later this week.
Only child Marie lived in Kildorrery, Co Cork, on the Cork-Limerick border, with hubby Kieran and their two young boys.
Her family are from Ballyagran, , where her devastated parents, Jim and Helen, are involved in local community activities including the GAA.
Local Councillor Jerome Scanlan said: “This is an absolute tragedy. I know Marie’s parents who are highly respected and liked in the area.
“Our rural parish is a place of sadness today and people are shocked and stunned by the deaths of Marie and her baby.
“The only consoling thing I can say is that rural communities are very supportive of the bereaved and our people will respond by helping in every way they can.”
Our rural parish is a place of sadness today and people are shocked and stunned by the deaths of Marie and her baby.
Jerome Scanlon
And Novartis, the global pharmaceutical firm that Marie worked for as a laboratory technician at its Ringaskiddy, base called her a “valued” employee.
They added: “Our thoughts and prayers are with Marie’s family and friends during this difficult time. Marie will be fondly remembered here at Novartis.”
Fr Eamonn Kelleher of Marie’s local Kildorrery Parish yesterday said everyone was praying for the family and vowed Kieran and the two boys would have the support and love of the community.
He said: “They are a very close community and take great care of each other and everyone feels the Downey tragedy.
“They are gathering here every morning to pray for the Downeys and to pray for Marie and the little boy Darragh.
“They are being surrounded by support but at the same time the whole community feels helpless. We pray that the Downeys will have the strength to get through this.”
The priest added: “The thing about grief is that it is a very lonely place. Families to a very large extent have to carry that burden on their own.
“But the thing about grief is that there is so little you can do really. We are alone with it. People have a true Christian spirit and there is deep human affection.
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“And that would be constant even when time goes by. There is terrible sadness that cross is on the shoulders of Kieran and the Downey family.”
The South Western Hospital Group has launched a probe into Darragh’s death.
A spokesman said: “Cork University Maternity Hospital wishes to express it’s deepest sympathy with the family of the mother and her baby. The priority now for the hospital is the well-being of their family.”
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