Yaszmin Simpson, a 29-year-old recruitment consultant from Welling, Bexley, died after suffering a fatal cardiac arrest during an emergency caesarean section, leaving her family with unanswered questions as an inquest is set to begin. Her newborn daughter survived the procedure and was not injured.
Three hospital visits before tragedy
In the final weeks of her pregnancy, Yaszmin visited hospital on three separate occasions over a 12-day period after experiencing bleeding and fluid loss. She first presented at Princess Royal University Hospital in Orpington on October 6, 2022, and was diagnosed with pre-labour rupture of membranes, a condition where the waters break before labour begins.
On October 8, following additional bleeding, she attended King's College Hospital, where she was admitted for five days. She was discharged on October 13 with a follow-up appointment scheduled for the next week and plans for a caesarean section at 35 weeks.
Emergency procedure and cardiac arrest
Yaszmin returned to King's College Hospital on October 17 with abdominal pain and more fluid loss. After a third bleeding episode, plans were made for a Category 2 caesarean section, which was then upgraded to a Category 1 emergency caesarean section. While preparing for surgery, she went into cardiac arrest and died the following morning.
Her mother, Michelle Simpson, said: "What should have been one of the happiest days of our lives became the day we lost Yaszmin. Instead of celebrating her becoming a mum, we had to say goodbye to her. Yaszmin was our precious daughter and becoming a mum was something she had dreamed about for a long time. She had spent months preparing for the birth and was so excited to finally meet her baby girl."
Family seeks answers at inquest
Yaszmin's parents, Michelle and Roy, have instructed specialist medical negligence solicitors at Irwin Mitchell to support them through the inquest, which begins Tuesday at London Inner South Coroner's Court and is expected to last up to four days. Yaszmin is also survived by her sister Karla and brother Wayne.
Michelle added: "Yaszmin was only weeks away from her 30th birthday and was always smiling, full of energy and excited about the future. She was creative, ambitious and independent. Alongside her career as a recruitment consultant, she had built her own personalised design business and was incredibly proud of everything she had achieved."
Charlotte Johnson, the specialist medical negligence solicitor at Irwin Mitchell acting for the family, stated: "Yaszmin's death has had a devastating impact on her loved ones, who continue to struggle to come to terms with losing her at such a young age. Understandably, they have a number of questions regarding the events leading up to her death and how what should have been such a joyous time for Yaszmin and her family ended in tragedy."
Johnson added: "While nothing can change what happened, the inquest represents an important opportunity to establish the facts and help the family gain a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding Yaszmin's death and whether there are lessons to be learned to improve patient safety and help prevent other families from experiencing a similar loss."
