The devastated family of a first-time mother who died shortly after giving birth to her daughter are demanding answers over the circumstances surrounding her death.
Yaszmin Simpson, from Welling in Bexley, attended hospital three times over a 12-day period during the final weeks of her pregnancy, with concerns including bleeding, abdominal pain and leaking fluid.
The recruitment consultant first attended Princess Royal University Hospital in Orpington on October 6, 2022 after experiencing bleeding and fluid loss.
She was diagnosed with pre-labour rupture of membranes, meaning her waters had broken before labour had begun.
Two days later, on October 8, Yaszmin attended King's College Hospital after suffering further bleeding and was admitted for five days.
She was discharged and sent home on October 13, with a follow-up appointment arranged for the following week and plans for her baby to be delivered by Caesarean section at 35 weeks.
However, just four days later, Yaszmin returned to King's College Hospital after developing abdominal pain and experiencing further fluid loss.
Plans were initially made for a Category 2 C-section after Yaszmin suffered a third episode of bleeding, but the procedure was later escalated to a Category 1 emergency C-section.
As medical staff prepared Yaszmin for surgery, she suffered a cardiac arrest.
Her baby daughter was delivered in the early hours of October 18, but tragically, Yaszmin died later that morning, aged just 29.
Her newborn daughter survived and was not physically injured.
In the aftermath of her death, Yaszmin's grieving parents, including her mother Michelle Simpson, have been left searching for answers about the care their daughter received and the circumstances that led to her death.
"Yaszmin was our precious daughter and becoming a mum was something she had dreamed about for a long time,” Michelle said.
“She had spent months preparing for the birth and was so excited to finally meet her baby girl.
“What should have been one of the happiest days of our lives became the day we lost Yaszmin.
“Instead of celebrating her becoming a mum, we had to say goodbye to her.”
An inquest into Yaszmin's death is due to start at London Inner South Coroner’s Court on Tuesday and is expected to last up to four days.
The family has instructed specialist medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to support them through an upcoming inquest and help them obtain answers.
Charlotte Johnson, the specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing the family, said: "Yaszmin's death has had a devastating impact on her loved ones, who continue to struggle to come to terms with losing her at such a young age.
“Understandably, they have a number of questions regarding the events leading up to her death and how what should have been such a joyous time for Yaszmin and her family ended in tragedy.
“While nothing can change what happened, the inquest represents an important opportunity to establish the facts and help the family gain a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding Yaszmin's death and whether there are lessons to be learned to improve patient safety and help prevent other families from experiencing a similar loss."
Michelle added: “Yaszmin was only weeks away from her 30th birthday and was always smiling, full of energy and excited about the future.
“She was creative, ambitious and independent. Alongside her career as a recruitment consultant, she had built her own personalised design business and was incredibly proud of everything she had achieved.
“It is almost impossible to put into words the pain of losing Yaszmin while living with so many unanswered questions. Whilst we know nothing can bring Yaszmin back, we hope the inquest will help us better understand what happened and provide the answers that she and our family deserve."
Yaszmin is also survived by her father Roy, sister Karla and her brother Wayne.
King’s College Hospital has been contacted for comment.
