![\"Emily](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2_040625LILIWENTHOMAS_02.jpg\")
Emily Brazier, Rhodri Thomas and their baby daughter Liliwen who died hours after being born (Image: Slater and Gordon)<\/p>\nAn inquest into the death of Liliwen Iris Thomas heard her mother was left alone for an hour. She managed to cry for help and it was discovered that her baby daughter had already been bornEmily Brazier, Rhodri Thomas and their baby daughter Liliwen who died hours after being born (Image: Slater and Gordon)<\/p>\n
A newborn baby died after her mother was left alone to give birth in Wales’ biggest hospital without supervision from a midwife or any medical professional, an inquest has heard.<\/p>\n
Liliwen Iris Thomas was born at the University of Wales Hospital but died just hours later after her mother, Emily Brazier, was left unattended in labour.<\/p>\n
An inquest into the death of Liliwen was held at Pontypridd<\/a> Coroner\u2019s Court on Tuesday, July 8. The assistant coroner for South Wales Central, Rachel Knight, explained that Miss Brazier was admitted to hospital for an induced labour on October 8, 2022, at \u201c40+1 weeks\u201d.<\/p>\n Miss Brazier was given pethidine and codeine for pain relief, however she was \u201cnot attended to or subjected to physical checks regularly enough\u201d, the inquest heard. For the latest Cardiff<\/a> news, sign up to our newsletter here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Evidence read in the hearing revealed that, during the early hours of October 10, 2022, Miss Brazier was not attended to by anyone from the midwifery team for almost an hour between 1.15am and 2.14am, the point when she made a cry for help, and that “the fact she had moved to active labour was missed”.<\/p>\n After a call for help was made, staff arrived and found that Liliwen had been delivered unattended. Liliwen was described as being in a \u201cvery poor condition\u201d and died at 10.40pm that day.<\/p>\n The inquest heard that Cardiff<\/a> and Vale University Health Board admitted that when Miss Brazier was admitted to hospital there was not a \u201cfull complement\u201d of midwives on duty, with only 17 present when the required number was 24. Two on-call midwives then arrived for duty to take the number up to 19.<\/p>\n Ms Knight said Tuesday’s hearing was a \u2018narrative inquest\u2019 to decide if a Regulation 28 report would be issued. A Regulation 28 report is a document issued by a coroner which aims to prevent future deaths by highlighting potential risks identified during an inquest and recommending preventative actions.<\/p>\n The inquest heard that Liliwen\u2019s father Rhodri was not present during his daughter\u2019s birth because partners were not allowed on the ward during that time due to the hospital having strict rules about visitors overnight between 9pm and 9am.<\/p>\n Summing up facts at the hearing, Ms Knight said: \u201cLiliwen died from a hypoxic brain injury following an unattended delivery in hospital\u201d.<\/p>\n Ms Knight added that the death was contributed to by different factors including the mother \u201cnot being attended to as frequently as she should have been\u201d, \u201cthe absence of resuscitation at birth\u201d, and \u201ca bacterial infection of the placenta\u201d.<\/p>\n The official cause of death, as recorded by Dr Andrew Bamber following an investigation, was given as perinatal asphyxia (lack of oxygen at birth).<\/p>\n Abigail Holmes, director of midwifery and neonatal services at the University of Wales Hospital, told the hearing that Liliwen\u2019s death represented \u201cthe most tragic case I\u2019ve ever been involved with\u201d.<\/p>\n She said new policies had been put into practice across Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and that investment had been made into staff and training.<\/p>\n Miss Brazier previously said how she was \u201cangry\u201d at being left alone during childbirth<\/a>. She said she remembered \u201cbeing in a cycle of puffing gas and air, passing out, and repeating\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"Emily](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1_040625LILIWENTHOMAS.jpg\")
Emily, Rhodri and Liliwen in hospital(Image: Slater and Gordon)<\/p>\n