The joy of a newborn and first grandchild is something you never forget, but for one UK grandma, this wonderful occasion was filled with heartache.
Back in 2019, Abbie Hallawell’s grandson Parker John came into the world – but her 17-year-old daughter was left brain-dead and in a critical condition.
Now, her family hopes her death ”wasn’t totally in vain.”
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17-year-old Teegan Barnard, from Havant, Hampshire, gave birth to a healthy 9lb 90z boy in September 2019. Sadly, the mother experienced serious complications and suffered a cardiac arrest after undergoing an emergency cesarean.
According to the local newspaper The News, Teegan was a very ‘small’ mother and suffered some ‘major’ bleeding giving birth to Parker.
She lost 1 gallon of blood and couldn’t get enough oxygen – which led to a severe brain injury. The young woman passed away several weeks later at her home on October 7, 2019.
She was 17 years of age at the time of her death.
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“She was so excited — she would have been the best mummy in the world,” Abbie, Teegans mother, said in 2019, according to The Sun.
Abbie and Parker’s father decided to raise the boy, and Abbie said she would do everything in her power to make sure her grandson knows how much his mom loved him.
“She had so much love for him and didn’t even get to show him. . . I’d do anything to have her back — I miss her more than anything in the world. We were more like best friends than mother and daughter.”
Abbie made sure Teegan got to hold her baby boy in the final weeks of her life and took pictures to show to Parker as he grows up.
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“Seeing Parker in his mummy’s arms where he belongs has been so important to me,” she said.
The heartbroken grandmother even captured Parker smiling while lying next to his mom in her final moments.
“I put them together at every possible moment,” Abbie says. “Now she has gone, we dress Parker in vests with his mum’s picture on. I want to keep her close to him always.”
Inquest
In 2022, an inquest confirmed that a delay in recognizing the cause “made a material contribution” to Teegan’s death.
The medical director of the trust that runs St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester made a statement and said that the circumstances of Teegan’s tragic death were ”extremely rare” and ”deeply affected everyone involved”.
”We are determined that all possible learning from the inquest will be acted upon as we continue to do all we can to improve our services for women and children in our care,” he added.
Teegan’s family welcomed the investigation and her mother now hopes that her daughter’s death wasn’t in vain.
”All we can hope for now is that her death wasn’t totally in vain and improvements are made to help other mums. We wouldn’t wish the hurt and pain we continue to live with on anyone else,” Abbie Hallawell said.
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My heart goes out to Teegan’s family and the little boy that she will never get to show just how much she loved. Rest in peace.
I’m glad that Parker will know how much his mom loved him and get to know her through his loving grandma as he grows. Please share.