Parents recall moment the lights went out at ERI birthing unit
Little Braedan with resourceful parents Samantha Preedy and Callum Livie
A DAD today described the moment he was forced to use a torch “app” on his mobile phone to desperately search for his newborn son in a hospital birthing pool after the lights failed.
Callum Livie, 26, told the Evening News how he would have been “snookered” without his iPhone as his partner Samantha Preedy gave birth in “complete darkness” at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and shouted: “I’ve dropped him, he’s in the pool and you need to find him.”
The Evening News first revealed yesterday how hospital operator Consort is set to be fined around £100,000 over the power outage on December 8, when back-up generators at the ERI also failed.
Today, Mr Livie, from Bonnyrigg, said he was just relieved little Braedan was none the worse for his dramatic entrance into the world.
“I came in and couldn’t see anything. I could just hear Sam saying he’s in here somewhere.
“I pulled my phone out and I could see where he was, and shouted to the midwives to grab him. It was a bit of a shock.
“He might have been under for a minute or two, it all happened so fast. Nobody could believe how it happened, but I’m just over the moon that the wee man made it OK.
“I’d used the app a few times when I’m trying to find stuff in my van, but I never thought I’d have to use it to help deliver my own son. I really would have been snookered without it.”
When the lights failed, the midwife with Ms Preedy, 28, left the room to find out what was happening. Then, as Braedan’s head appeared, Mr Livie ran out to find help.
In the end, Ms Preedy gave birth in the dark and alone but still had the presence of mind to unwrap the umbilical cord from Braedan’s neck while shouting for help.
The newborn then went under the water and was nowhere to be seen, forcing self-employed tradesman Mr Livie to use his iPhone to light the pool while midwives searched for him and eventually pulled him to the surface.Ms Preedy, now a mum of five, said: “It’s lucky I’m not a first-time mum or it would have been completely different. I’ve had four other babies and so I knew what to do.”
“The midwives were more shocked than I was. I got the cord unwrapped from around his neck, but the force of him coming out, I lost him in the pool.
“Callum came in and I shouted ‘I’ve dropped him, he’s in the pool and you need to find him’. Let’s just say he’s really glad he downloaded that torch for his iPhone.”
As the Evening News revealed yesterday, the main power system went down due to a supply fault caused by the high winds. Emergency batteries kept intensive care, surgical theatres and A&E in operation, but the rest of the hospital, including the new birthing unit, was without power for 11 minutes. Luckily, Braedan faced no complications and was able to return home three hours later and meet his brothers and sisters, Aaron, three, T-Jay, five, Alisha, seven and Teegan, eight.
Ms Preedy said her mum and dad, Christine and Gordon Bourhill, could not believe what happened to their grandson but were delighted at the result.
She said: “My mum couldn’t believe it, it was so dramatic. It’s Braedan’s own wee story.”
Ms Preedy, who had her four other children with her previous husband, said she does not blame hospital staff but the private firm which is responsible for the running of the hospital.
She added: “We were told about the generators, how they should have kicked in when the power went off.”
Consort, which is paid nearly £60 million to operate the ERI, yesterday cited a minor delay in getting generator supplies to many areas of the hospital after the main supply went down.
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Comments
There are 16 comments to this article
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Mark Bishop
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 11:04 AMWow, five children. The parents are so lucky in having such well paid jobs to be able to afford so many. There was a study that says it costs £218,000 to bring a child up from 0-18 years. I just wish I was on their salaries.
noodle doodle
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 10:21 AM#13 I agree, giving kids nicknames for proper names is well off. If you have a proper name you can shorten it if you want, but you're sort of stuck if all you've got is "speedy" or "baz". Was he named after TJ Hooker?
Jools in Edinburgh
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 10:34 PM#9 Grumpy Scot, they did have back-up generators. These also failed...which is what the fuss is all about.
Jools in Edinburgh
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 10:31 PMCan I just say that if one of her children is indeed called T-Jay that is a thoroughly stupid name.
knowitall
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 05:57 PMSo, is the land swap still on then?
Tartancult
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 05:53 PM#7 Surely the baby was still attached? A quick yank would have found him------------------Perhaps, but there were no Americans around at that time.
benaryeah
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 05:03 PMWell done to the happy parents and staff at the Royal Infirmary. WHEN (EXACTLY) are NHS Lothin and NHS Scotland going to FIRE Consort.... only days ago the EEN related how they had left Emergency department staff WITHOUT adequate security cover.... time and time again there have been reports of Consort FAILING in their contractual obligations - does someone have to die before something is done? COME ON NHS Lothian - climb down from the gilded towers of your Wayverleygate Executive Offices and start propely watching, monitoring and enforcing!!!!!
grumpyscot
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 03:53 PMWhy does the RIE not have UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) systems for theatres and treatment areas? Any computer centre (The EEN Scotsman included) has one to keep its IT going - surely in a hospital where lives could be in jeopardy there's more of a business case for them?
Balliol II
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 03:11 PMWhy does the RIE not have some sort of torches for staff available for failure of the back-up system?
Fartar
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 02:31 PMSurely the baby was still attached? A quick yank would have found him.
Sally Longlegs
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 01:48 PMI dont know of any mamal with the exception of humans that want to give birth in water when it can be done on dry land! Seals etc etc etc Some French doc thought this up. Should have kept it there.
nickedinburgh
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 01:27 PMCome on, get real. These pools aren't exactly the size of a public baths. If she dropped him, it's just a matter of reaching about a little. Talk about a drama queen making a fuss out of nothing. Or just Evening News reporters going in for wild exaggeration again in search of a story? Hmmm.
insiderscoop
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 01:04 PMJust lucky it was not twins...eh
Pending Consternation
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 01:00 PMI thought 'Mobile phones must be switched off at all times because they interfere with sensitive equipment' in a hospital? Apple should give this guy a new phonelaptop for free as new baby present, after all the free publicity he's giving them.
ahlovebrroonsauce
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 12:52 PMSticking his hands in the water would have maybe helped to clean those mucky paws hes about to handle his child with. I wonder if theres an App for that?
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