Doctor Fatally Crushes Baby’s Skull with Forceps Delivery, Should Forceps Be Banned?

Today, a young couple in Port Arthur, TX are left to grieve the loss of their newborn daughter. Little Olivia Marie Coats only lived five days after suffering head trauma that occurred during delivery.

According to Daily Mail, the obstetrician that performed the delivery fatally cracked the child’s skull and spine, which led to brain death five days later.

Soon after the child’s delivery, the couple started a Facebook page, sharing the child’s story and her condition.

The Facebook page immediately began to circulate around the network, and comments started pouring in as hundreds started to follow the family’s story. When the baby died, her story deftly caught the attention of the media. The page now has more than 80,000 followers, and the number is still increasing.

On Jan. 4, Allen Coats, 25, and his fiance Rachel Melancon, 24, held a memorial for their little girl. Mourners released hundreds of balloons to commemorate the life of the little angel. The parents took to Facebook to express their gratitude for the kind gestures and comments people shared in dedication of their daughter.

The couple wrote, “So many people came and donated and gave us support. We are standing here at peace because all of you! Y’all are truly carrying our pain in y’all’s heart.” Now, the couple is left to weather the aftermath of justice. Advocates around the country are now working with the couple to support their efforts to sue their obstetrician, Dr. George T. Backardjiev.

The sudden loss of the child was definitely unexpected, as Melancon had a healthy pregnancy without complications. The only request she had was to give birth by cesarean section. Due to the size of the baby in comparison to her petite 4’11 frame, she had reservations about vaginal delivery. Unfortunately, her doctor denied her request repeatedly. Once she went into labor, the baby’s heart rate began to gradually increase, but her doctor still insisted that she wait it out.

ABC News reports that the baby’s grandmother, Angie Coats, weighed in with a detailed account of the delivery.

“It was 18 hours until the delivery. [Rachel] was running a 103 fever… Five hours passed, then [the obstetrician] came in and she started to push. But she was so worn out and the baby wasn’t even in the birth canal,’ Ms Coats said.

Coats went on to explain that the baby was facing the wrong way, and Backardjiev attempted to turn her with his hands, but to no avail.

“When he couldn’t do that, he took the small forceps to try to pull the baby out. He kept going and even put his foot up on the bed trying to pull,” she said. “When he touched the top and side of the skull, we heard a pop, like clay cracking in pottery and heard her skull crush.”

The fatal error sent Melancon into an emergency cesarean. But, when little Olivia was delivered, she was unable to breathe. The newborn was then rushed to another medical facility, Hermann Hospital. The couple was informed that their child had suffered ‘numerous fractures’.

Medical Center of Southeast Texas’ Hospital Chief Executive Matt Roberts released a statement on behalf of the medical facility expressing that baby’s death, ‘rips at our hearts’. However, the statement also explained that the could not comment on the specified case. According to the Mayo Clinic, skull fractures are among numerous complications that can arise from deliveries with the use of forceps. “Keep in mind that whenever a forceps delivery is recommended, a C-section is typically also an option,” the health publication also advises.”

The death of little Olivia Marie Coats has sparked another debate. Should the practice of forceps be banned from delivery?