The mother of one of several newborn babies who died at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital believes she and her family are now blessed with a new guardian angel to look over them and guide their pathway. It is the only comfort and solace 21-year-old Danyelle Samaroo could find as she struggles to come to terms with the death of her baby, Aarya Raya Chatergoon.
Samaroo is among a growing list of families who have come forward seeking legal action against the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) over the deaths of their babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Yesterday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley assured that Government will leave no stone unturned to find out what led to babies’ deaths.
During an emotional interview with Guardian Media yesterday, Samaroo said the death of her baby is so overwhelming she finds it hard to even get out of bed most days. She explained how joy and excitement overflowed in the months leading up to her daughter’s birth.
“For me, it was just being a mother and having a family of my own because that was something that was really important to me, having my own family and growing from there. We selected her name Aarya Raya, we knew we wanted a different name but also a name that aligned with our religion as well,” she explained.
Samaroo described how what began as a normal procedure on March 26 to deliver her baby spiralled into a nightmare.
“I was transferred from Mt Hope hospital due to them not having space in the NICU and when I got there (PoSGH), after trying for a normal birth, I eventually had a C-section. The pain was terrible but I mustered the strength and will to go down and see her,” she recalled.
At the time, the young mother said her little girl, who captured the family’s heart, appeared healthy and normal.
“Two days after, when I was able to walk I went down to the NICU and it was the happiest moment of my life, when they told me who she was. I was filled with so much joy it was overwhelming. At the time, I was unable to hold her because she had oxygen tubes and feeding tubes and so on, so just to be safe we were not allowed to hold her.”
Samaroo said every day she and her partner visited their child and enquired about her health and well-being, always being assured by hospital staff that she was progressing well.
“It was amazing to see how she was doing. They told us she would be released soon, and she’d come home soon.”
The San Juan resident said she was later informed that little Aarya needed a blood transfusion due to her inability to digest food properly.
“After the transfusion, we inquired if everything was okay, they assured us it was successful. We wanted to make sure there were no complications.”
The young mother said her world came crashing down on April 5 when she received a call informing her Aarya’s condition had taken a turn for the worse.
“I know I left her in good condition, after that call I dropped on the floor and started crying. Her dad rushed to the hospital and saw them trying to resuscitate her. When I got there about 45 minutes later she had all these tubes connected to her, she was barely breathing. It was so very emotional, she had on her going home outfit and around 6.18 pm she died in our arms,” she cried.
Samaroo said when her daughter died, no one at the hospital said what caused her demise.
“We did not know about any bacteria that was present because we asked every day if everything is okay, is there anything we should be worried about. They told us it was a bacteria she developed.”
Aarya was laid to rest and since then, Samaroo said her life has been filled with heartache.
“Everyday is getting progressively worse for me, just the thought of her not being there, not being around, it has been challenging and overwhelming. It is hard to make it out of bed some days. We have her blanket that she would have left NICU with and I sleep with it every night, it is so hard to let go of things,” she said as she wept.
Asked if she believes there was negligence on the part of hospital officials, Samaroo admitted there were some things that raised red flags.
“It’s a neonatal intensive care unit, it’s an ICU for a reason, the proper protocols weren’t being followed. That same day when I visited my baby, they were not even handling her with gloves to re-insert the inserts in her hand. A proper investigation must be done.”
Samaroo said they welcome the probe into the deaths of the babies and encouraged affected families to keep praying.