Jennifer and Agnes Cahill inquest: Mum shouted ‘I am a warrior’ during homebirth that left her and baby dead

A mother who died after a traumatic homebirth that also led to the death of her newborn railed against her body, shouting “I really want to do this. I am a warrior! Why will my body not let me?” during the intense labour.

Jennifer Cahill’s haunting words were revealed during a coronial inquest into her death and that of baby Agnes by Julie Taylor, one of two on-call midwives who attended the doomed homebirth at Ms Cahill’s Manchester home on June 3, 2024.

Ms Cahill died a day after giving birth, after losing an estimated two litres of blood and going into multi-organ failure.

Agnes survived just four days before she, too, passed away.

The decision to have a home birth is now being scrutinised, with the inquest told that hospital staff had informed the couple a home birth was “out of guidance” and “against advice”.

However, Father Rob Cahill denies hearing that terminology until after the tragedy.

Ms Cahill opted for a homebirth for her second child after a distressing experience giving birth in a hospital to her first child, Rudy, three years before. She was determined that the birth would be “physiological”, with no drugs and minimal outside intervention.

This was despite medical advice that it would be risky, given her history with postpartum haemorrhaging and as a carrier of group B strep, which can spread to babies during birth and cause serious infections, including sepsis, meningitis, or pneumonia.

Ms Taylor told Rochdale Coroner’s Court on Thursday that Ms Cahill was “beating herself up almost” during the labour, which she said was a common reaction among labouring mothers, the Manchester Evening News reported

It was Ms Taylor who performed CPR on baby Agnes after she was born, not breathing and with the umbilical cord around her neck.

Describing the moment, Ms Taylor said she told the other midwife in attendance, Andrea Walmsley, to check on Ms Cahill, while she “took control” and looked after the struggling newborn.

“I said to Andrea twice, ‘please check on Jen’ in case of any haemorrhaging,” she told the inquest.

She also told Mr Cahill to call the ambulance.

“She (Jennifer) was unwell because of the blood loss. She was pale, she was sweaty.”

The inquest was told that after Agnes was sent to hospital, a “tired” looking Jennifer collapsed suddenly.

Ms Cahill’s husband Rob earlier told the inquest the risks of a homebirth had not been fully explained to the couple.