OMG: Parents heartbroken as baby dies after skull & spine were broken during forceps delivery
The parents of a baby girl who died after her skull was crushed during a forceps delivery are suing the Texas hospital where she was born.
Rachel Melancon had experienced a healthy pregnancy, but when a doctor at the Medical Center of Southeast Texas used forceps during the birth on December 28 it had devastating consequences.
As the medical device was clamped around her baby’s head, the 24-year-old and her fiance Allen Coats claim they heard a popping sound as their daughter’s skull was crushed.
The baby girl, named Olivia Marie, survived for five more days after being left brain damaged and with a fractured skull and severed spinal cord.
Her parents plan to sue their obstetrician, Dr George T Backardjiev, and the Medical Center of Southeast Texas.
The couple have also started a Facebook campaign page to petition against the use of forceps in all births.
Ms Melancon, at 4ft 11in and weighing 95lb before she became pregnant, had asked for a cesarean section when her baby was overdue and large, considering her mother’s petite frame.
