The grandmother of a boy born in 2019 with cerebral palsy told the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, that the midwife under whose care her daughter was pregnant shoved a forceps into her daughter when she had difficulty in delivering the baby.

The grandmother, who may only be identified as Mrs B to protect the now five-year-old child, was the second witness who accused former Pretoria East midwife Yolande Maritz Fouchee of being responsible for the fact that the babies were born with brain damage.

Carien Möller (who does not mind being identified) earlier this week testified that her daughter Sophia was also born with cerebral palsy in 2019 while she was under the care of Fouchee.

Fouchee is facing 14 charges, including one of culpable homicide and several charges of assault. The now deregistered midwife denied any wrongdoing and suggested that the fact that the babies were born with cerebral palsy could be genetic.

The prosecution will, however, call medical experts to testify in a bid to refute her defence.

Mrs B, meanwhile, on Thursday testified that she attended most of her daughter’s sessions before birth with Fouchee. According to her, her daughter was 39 weeks pregnant on November 12, 2019, and although she was not yet in labour, Fouchee said it was time to deliver the baby.

They went to Fouchee’s You&Me Delivery Centre during the morning, but they were told to come back around two in the afternoon. They went for lunch and returned, and her daughter, only identified as Mrs R, was taken to the delivery room.

Mrs B and Mrs R’s husband waited for hours outside before Mrs B was called to the delivery room by Fouchee’s daughter, Estuné Maritz. Mrs B said her daughter looked exhausted, pale, and very weak.

She testified that Fouchee asked her to convince her daughter to “try and give birth”. Her daughter had a drip in her arm, but Mrs B said she had no idea what was in the drip. According to Mrs B, her daughter asked to be taken to the hospital as she did not feel well, but Fouchee refused.

She said Fouchee maintained that no hospital would take her daughter in for a C-Section as she was already in labour, thus she would have to give birth naturally. Mr R was called in and told to sit on the bed, with his wife in front of him.

He was instructed by Fouchee to hold her legs, the witness said. She explained that Fouchee wanted to use forceps to retrieve the baby, but she (Mrs B) told her not to. “She nevertheless continued. She battled to get the forceps in. She then took the instrument and pushed it in with force,” the witness said, adding that her daughter screamed at that point.

This did not seem to help, and her daughter was told to sit in a squatting position. At this point, the family decided that she must go to a Montana private hospital, and they asked Fouchee to take her.

Mrs B said her daughter was instead taken to Tshwane District Hospital in a private ambulance belonging to Fouchee’s clinic. When they got to the hospital, Fouchee’s daughter insisted on being immediately paid for the ambulance transport, she said.

Her daughter, later that night, delivered the baby via C-section. The baby was whisked off to the intensive care unit at Steve Biko Hospital. Mrs B said Fouchee was nowhere to be seen, and the nurses said she went home.

Mrs B was able to see the baby for a few minutes, and she noticed he had a “blood sac” on his forehead. The family was told that he was born with cerebral palsy.

Fouchee, meanwhile, vehemently denied that she had used forceps on the mother in a bid to retrieve the baby.

Proceeding.

zelda.venter@inl.co.za

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