A young mother from Sageston who had just given birth to a baby boy, died following inadequate medical treatment for a life-threatening condition which can affect women after childbirth, an inquest at Milford Haven concluded this week.

HM Coroner for Pembrokeshire, Michael Howells, gave the verdict on Monday folowing the death of 23-year-old Alison Webster, of 9 Perrotts Road, Sageston, who died in August of 2005.

Five days before she passed away, Alison (nee Smith), a native of Manorbier, gave birth to her second child, whom she and her husband Simon named Callum.

Coroner's officer for the Pembrokeshire Division of Dyfed Powys Police, Jeremy Davies, explained at the inquest that there had been no areas of concern during Alison's pregnancy and that she had not experienced any complications during the birth, and was later deemed fit to be discharged from hospital.

During the next few days, Alison, who was visited by three different midwives, Gaynor Ann Evans, Helen James and Lucy Godwin, over this period, complained of not feeling 100 per cent and was experiencing an uncomfortable pain in her perineum.

It was suggested to her by midwife Godwin that she may have a virus and was advised to take paracetamol and drink lots of water.

However, on August 8, Alison began shaking uncontrollably, suffering from abdominal pains and diarrhoea. She had also given up breast feeding due to a lack of lactation.

She was visited by Care on Call GP, Dr. Paul Goodson, but during the early hours of the morning, after suffering further agonising pain to her lower abdomen, she was taken into Withybush Hospital, Haverfordwest, where her condition gradually deteriorated, until she became deeply unconscious and was pronounced dead shortly after 3 pm.

Following her death, the Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust carried out a serious incident review and identified a number of problems where it was highlighted that the midwives had failed to act duly when treating Alison.

Midwives James and Evans were placed on a period of supervision, while Godwin was given a significant period of retraining and later dismissed from her position by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Coroner Mr. Howells explained at the inquest that 24 hours following Alison's death, 45-year-old Dr. Goodson, who had treated her before she went into hospital, was found dead, but Mr. Howells declared that he was satisfied that Dr. Goodson had taken his own life for reasons not connected to the case.

In giving a narrative verdict on Alison's death, Mr. Howells said that she had died following inadequate medical treatment for a life-threatening condition of Pueperal Fever.