A woman bathes her baby at her house in suburban Melbourne May 11, 2009.
A woman bathes her baby at her house in suburban Melbourne May 11, 2009. Reuters/Mick Tsikas

A New South Wales mother whose baby died in the hospital has been awarded nearly $1.8 million in damages by the Supreme Court. The hospital admitted to making “fatal errors” that led to her son’s death.

In 2010, after spending her final three weeks of pregnancy at Wagga Wagga Hospital, Sharon McManus, 37, was told by the staff that her son died. She had visited the hospital every day following a severe case of gastroenteritis. The next day after she was sent home, her doctors decided she needed to undergo a C-section that afternoon. When she woke up from the procedure, however, she was in severe pain. She was told her baby didn’t make it.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the court found that if the C-section had been performed earlier, McManus’ baby would still be alive. The day before the emergency procedure, the mother’s doctor and nurse argued about whether she should undergo the procedure. She was sent home instead.

As a result, McManus’ baby, whom she named Cooper, had died. The death of her son had led to the deterioration of McManus’ mental health. Her husband Shaun said the death of their son “eradicated” her personality and confidence. She had been taken in to a hospital for psychiatric care on several instances. She was also unable to hold a full-time job.

The Murrumbidgee Local Area Health Network has been ordered to pay the grieving mother $1,785,498 plus her legal costs.

“Her post-traumatic stress disorder and depressed and anxious state render her disabled on an ongoing and unrelenting basis from enjoying or participating in a wide range of fundamental activities of daily life,” Justice Harrison said on Tuesday.

The judge added there was “no end in sight” for McManus’ suffering.