RAYMOND Mackin had done all in his power to ensure his fiancée, Anne Hearty, and their unborn child, Conall, would be safe on their journey through pregnancy and childbirth.
The hospital usually used by women in Dundalk, Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda, did not carry out scans until four months into pregnancy; but the couple wanted the best service possible and so decided to pay for private care with consultant obstetrician Dr Michael O’Hare at Daisy Hill hospital across the border in Newry.
But as their families were waiting at home for good news about the arrival of a new grandson, Raymond watched helplessly as an understaffed and chaotic maternity regime cost the lives of both Anne and Conall.
In this exclusive interview with The Detail, Raymond tells his family’s heartbreaking story.