Mom of dead newborn: I did not kill my baby

A DEBE mother whose child died during birth and is now facing accusations about the circumstances under which it happened is denying she is a “baby killer.”

“I did not kill my baby. My baby died inside of me. My baby was stillborn,” said Nadia Dhanoolal, who is now the subject of a police investigation. Her newborn baby was pronounced dead at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) on Monday.

“I just want to clear my name. My baby was born with his skull in good condition, his skin in good condition. He would have suffered bruising from attempts by the emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to resuscitate him.”

Dhanoolal said she is doubly hurt by the death of her child and unnecessary investigation.

She said because of the police and subsequent media reports she is being looked at as a baby killer on social media and in the community of Lal Beharry Trace, Debe, where she lives with her husband Radhaysham Ramloogam and their two children. This was her third pregnancy

In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Dhanoolal who was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday said the doctor who reported the child’s death “made me feel like a real animal.

“The way he explained everything to the police in front of me, that the child came here (SFGH) with a fractured skull and bruises on his skin, like if I did something to the baby.” While she understands the doctor had a responsibility to report anything suspicious, she said, “As a doctor he should have had the medical knowledge to know this is what happens during resuscitation.” She said she had not got over the shock. “After making a baby you do have post-partum depression, but this kind of depression is different. I just can’t contain myself. The only thing that could settle my mind is for the media to clear the air and let the public know what really happened.”

She said she had prepared everything for the arrival of her third baby and her entire family, including her two children, were looking forward to seeing their baby brother.

“I was expecting to bring a baby home. As soon as I got home on Tuesday, my children kept asking for the baby. I have a lot of milk in my breast which I have to pump out.”

Dhanoolal said she went to bed on Sunday night and woke up around 2 am on Monday to use the washroom when her water broke.

“We called the ambulance but the baby was already in the vaginal canal. I was already dilated, everything. I was panicking, everybody was panicking. My husband placed me on the bed, where I had the baby.” In an earlier interview, Ramloogam told the Newsday with the guidance of one of the EMTs, he helped in the delivery and the baby’s lifeless body slid into his open palms. He said the child did not cry out, which led to further panic and the EMT, who was still on the phone, explained how to do CPR before the ambulance arrived.

Mother and baby were put in an ambulance, but on the journey to the SFGH, the baby was transferred to another ambulance. An autopsy is yet to be done to determine the cause of the baby’s death. The first autopsy was scheduled for the mortuary at the SFGH, but Dhanoolal said, “Then they called and said (the baby’s body) had to go Port of Spain. And now we are hearing it is scheduled for San Fernando again.” Investigations are continuing.