PREGNANT MOM CHOKED ON VOMIT

Senior pathologist Dr Hughvon Des Vignes, who conducted the autopsy, determined Caine’s death was due to her “choking on her own vomit”. His autopsy report also indicated that Caine’s son was full term but died while she was in labour.

Blood and tissue samples were taken from Caine and her son to be tested at the Forensic Science Centre, St James.

Caine’s common-law husband Colin Joseph, 30, yesterday said he named his son Kymano, which they had chosen in case Caine gave birth to a boy. Caine and Joseph lived at Trou Macaque, Laventille with Joseph’s son from a previous relationship.

Joseph demanded answers for his wife and son’s death. “I am praying for the strength to make it through this ordeal. I have gotten no apology from the hospital staff, nothing. I want answers because my girl never had any complications,” he said.

Joseph said he was looking forward to his first child with Caine. “A boy or girl would have been okay but I really wanted a boy. I have a son already but I wanted a whole football side of boys. Now I have nothing, my girl is gone and my boy too,” he said.

After the autopsy yesterday, Joseph, Caine’s mother Rosemin Holder and 11 relatives went to the Ministry of Health, Park Street, Port-of-Spain, where they met with Health Minister Therese Baptiste-Cornelis and other health officials, including Chief Medical Officer Dr Anton Cumberbatch, nursing administrator Elizabeth Powder, Acting CEO of the North West Regional Health Authority Claudine Shepherd and a representative of the obstetrics department of the PoSGH, at about 1.45 pm.

Caine was Holder’s only child. Baptiste-Cornelis extended her condolences to the family telling them she understood how they felt since she almost died during a miscarriage she had several years ago.

“I know what you all are going through because I went through a similar experience. Several years ago I had a miscarriage and had to be in the Intensive Care Unit. I almost died,” Baptiste-Cornelis said, assuring she would find out the truth about the circumstances which led to Caine’s death.

Caine’s relatives said they were thankful Baptiste-Cornelis survived her miscarriage but noted in their case their loved one had died.

Caine’s aunt Sonia Caine said, “At least the Health Minister was able to come out alive but our situation is far more worse than hers.”

Caine’s relatives asked how long they would have to wait for a report on her death from the ministry. “Five or ten years?” they asked. Cumberbatch replied, “two weeks” to which Baptiste- Cornelis agreed.

The Health Minister assured Caine’s relatives that an extensive investigation had begun and she gave instructions for a report to be given to her within two weeks.

Cumberbatch also said Caine and her unborn baby were in good health when she was admitted to PoSGH. During the meeting, Caine’s mother complained she felt nauseous and was attended to outside of the meeting room. Shortly after, the relatives and health officials resumed their discussion which ended at about 3.30 pm.

Later, at about 4.56 pm, the Health Ministry issued a statement on behalf of Baptiste-Cornelis.

“I would like to express sincere condolences to Nikisha Caine’s family. I have met with Nikisha’s family, and we have advised them that the ministry will launch a full investigation into Nikisha’s death. The results of the investigation will be sent to me to assess what has occurred, and what actions need to be taken. We will keep the family fully apprised of the investigation. The family has already received a medical certificate of the cause of death and we expect the investigation to take two weeks. We will continue to provide the necessary support and counseling that the family will need during this difficult time,” Baptiste-Cornelis said.

Sonia Caine said her niece’s water-bag broke at about 2 am on Monday and Caine was taken to PoSGH at about 3.45 am. She said Caine was first taken to one floor but was sent to the Third Floor where she was told to sit on a bench. Caine remained on a bench up until 4.30 am and the family kept calling her on her cell phone to keep check on her until her mother arrived at about 11 am to help her bathe.

“We kept in contact with her right through, almost every hour, until about 4 am on Tuesday and by that time Nikisha (Caine) kept saying that she was in a lot of pain and her contractions were two minutes apart. I prayed for her and asked her to pray and ask God for a safe delivery,” Sonia said.

Sonia said when she called Caine’s cell phone at about 5 am on Tuesday, Caine did not answer and thought she had been taken to the delivery room. Relatives called the hospital several times, and on one occasion they were told there was no record of a Nikisha Caine.

They tried again and were eventually told that Caine’s mother and the father of Caine’s baby should go to the hospital because there was an emergency.

A Nigerian doctor told relatives, when they got to the hospital, he could not give them information about Caine and this had to be done by a senior doctor.

“It was at this point that the doctors began telling us that nothing was wrong with Nikisha and the baby when she was admitted and that the baby’s heartbeat was good and that Nikisha’s pressure was good. At this point we knew something was wrong. Eventually they told us that she and the baby died and we ran out screaming. We were told not to scream too hard because we would frighten the other mothers,” Sonia said.

Sonia said Caine had joined the clinic at the Success/Laventille Health Centre during her pregnancy and “all her visits were good”. “There were no signs of her suffering from hypertension, nothing.” Caine was due to give birth on October 27.