The trial of a Pretoria East midwife, accused of causing several babies to either die or be born disabled, will only resume next year after four mothers who were complainants against her have concluded their evidence in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria.

The prosecution will call medical experts when the trial resumes again on January 19. This is in a bid to refute Yolande Maritz Fouchee’s defences to the 14 charges against her. Four mothers took the stand against Fouchee and, in some cases, the grandmothers who were present at Fouchee’s You&Me Birth Centre when the children were born also testified.

In two of the cases, the babies had died – one died nine days after he was born and another was stillborn. In two of the cases, the babies were born after suffering a lack of oxygen, which left them with cerebral palsy.

Fouchee, in each case, blamed certain medical conditions relating to the mothers for what happened to the babies. She is mostly facing assault charges relating to the mothers who claimed they were given substances to endure labour. In one case, a mother claimed Fouchee had “shoved” a forceps into her when she experienced difficulty in delivering the baby.

Fouchee has meanwhile been deregistered as a midwife following a disciplinary hearing before the SA Nursing Council. The mothers, who said they had signed contracts with Fouchee that she would take professional care of them during their pregnancies and during the birth of their babies, claimed that birthing complications under Fouchee’s care led to either the death of the babies or them being born with cerebral palsy.

The last mother to testify told the court that her child was stillborn. According to her, she was throughout her pregnancy told by Fouchee that the unborn child was healthy. However, when her daughter was born in August 2020, she was blue on the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet.

A paramedic who later arrived to take her to hospital declared the baby dead. The mother, who may not be identified, testified that she went for a check-up to Fouchee’s centre when the midwife asked her whether she “could call the baby”.

The mother said there was no prior arrangement that this would be the day the child was to be born, neither was she in labour at the time. But according to her, Fouchee gave her a glass of water with a substance in it to drink. She explained that it was a rescue remedy.

After this, her labour pains intensified. The mother said it was a very difficult birth. After they realised the little girl was dead, she asked Fouchee if she and her husband could spend a bit of time with the baby. According to her, they were only given an hour to do so. Fouchee stated various medical conditions as well as the fact that the mother was a smoker for the baby’s condition.

But the mother said she had smoked a lot less during her pregnancy. She also questioned Fouchee’s defence as she said the midwife assured her during her pregnancy that the unborn child was healthy.

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