The midwives claimed that while the nurse told them she was going on break, she didn’t say anything about asking them to check on the baby. The nurse checked on the baby when she returned from her break between 1.15am and 1.30am and found he was pale and had vomited, with the feeding tube sticking out of his mouth. ‘… I am critical that Baby A was not checked for over an hour…’Health NZ told the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) that neither midwife was at fault as the nurse hadn’t asked them to check on the baby while she was on her break. In addition, Health NZ said that if the nurse had any concerns about the baby, she would have checked on it immediately after taking her break. “Accordingly, in these circumstances, I am critical that Baby A was not checked for over an hour while [the nurse] was on her break.”Wall directed Health NZ to make an apology to the baby’s parents.

Source: New Zealand Herald February 23, 2026 02:04 UTC