Newborn dies five hours after home birth in Nea Filadelfeia, police investigate

The birth and the first hours

The baby was born by normal delivery at the family home in Nea Filadelfeia around 1 am on Friday, 6 November, with a midwife present. According to early information, the newborn had difficulty breathing soon after birth. It then appeared to recover, and the mother breastfed it normally. Nothing in the following hours appears to have signalled what came next, according to the accounts gathered so far. Police are working to reconstruct the sequence from the moment of birth until the death.

Deterioration, resuscitation and transfer

Around 6 am the newborn's condition worsened sharply, and the baby died about five hours after being born. Sources say the midwife tried to revive the baby with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and that an ambulance had already been requested. The baby was taken to Agia Olga hospital, where doctors tried to keep it alive without success. The accounts differ on the transfer. One says the baby was taken to hospital hours later, after collapsing, while another says it reached the emergency department without consciousness. A third account says the midwife gave first aid before calling EKAB, the national ambulance service, and that the hospital then informed police.

The midwife and the mother

Police are looking closely at the midwife's conduct from the start of labour to the transfer to hospital. According to the sources, she went to her job as usual after the death, a detail investigators are examining. The midwife's actions during the birth and the decisions taken in the critical hours are being examined carefully. The mother is at the local police station, where the authorities are questioning her to establish the conditions of the delivery and what followed. The family has two other children.

Pregnancy history and the choice of home birth

Investigators are also reviewing the pregnancy history to determine whether any risk factors existed that would have made a delivery in an organised maternity unit the safer choice. According to one account, the mother was afraid of giving birth in a hospital setting and chose home birth instead. The medical history of the pregnancy is being examined as part of the file. Whether the choice of home birth is relevant to the liability question is one of the central issues the authorities are weighing.

What the forensic examination must establish

The forensic examination is expected to establish the exact cause of death and whether a pathological problem existed, or whether something earlier could have been prevented. A macroscopic examination found no signs of criminal action, sources say. Police are assessing whether criminal liability exists for fatal exposure or criminal negligence, and they are collecting statements and medical evidence. Answers are expected to come from the forensic examination rather than from witness statements alone.