A mum, who was described as “the glue” which held her family together, died weeks after giving birth.
Amelia Smith, from Kirkby, died on November 14, 2021 – a month after welcoming her daughter Poppy into the world on October 1 that year. The 23-year-old was described as a "gentle, kind and beautiful soul” by loved ones.
At an inquest held at Bootle Town Hall on Wednesday, November 1, coroner Graham Jackson said the beautician had suffered with anorexia, an eating disorder, for an “extended period”. Amelia had also suffered with low potassium levels and while pregnant with her second child Poppy was hospitalised and treated by doctors with an intravenous drip. She was also given potassium tablets to be taken orally at home.
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A month after the birth of Poppy, Amelia and her partner Tom Mooney had gone out for a meal on November 13. They returned home and Amelia had complained of having a “sore belly”.
The court heard how due to Amelia’s eating disorder this was not out of the ordinary, but this stomach ache was different to previous ones. However, Tom said they felt it didn’t warrant medical attention at that time and Amelia put it down to recently giving birth.
Giving evidence at the inquest, Tom said the couple went to bed just after midnight on November 14 and said her stomach ache had settled. During the early hours, Amelia had woken up to feed baby Poppy before going back to bed.
At 6.30am that day, Tom said he heard a “deep gasp for air” from Amelia which he described sounded like an exhale and thought Amelia was in a “deep sleep”. The two children were both up at this stage and Tom went to attend to them and thought Amelia was having a lie in.
At around 8.45am, Tom sent their son Lucas upstairs to wake his mum up. However, Tom said he only got halfway up the stairs which was “not normal for him to do that” and said at that point he “knew something was up”.
Tom went upstairs to find Amelia unresponsive. He immediately called emergency services and performed CPR while waiting for paramedics to arrive.
Despite the best efforts of emergency services Amelia was pronounced dead. The inquest heard how Amelia had a history of low potassium levels and on September 22, 2021 was treated for this with an intravenous potassium infusion. She had gone to hospital after suffering with symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.
She was seen by consultant Mark Clement-Jones, a consultant obstetrician at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, who after an examination booked Amelia in for an induction on September 29. He noted her low potassium levels and thought this could possibly be a renal problem.
The court heard how Dr Clement-Jones was going to check this issue at his clinic after Amelia gave birth. She was given potassium tablets and was discharged the next day as doctors deemed she was not in significant danger and it was safe for her to go home.
On September 29, Amelia returned to Liverpool Women’s Hospital to be induced and on October 1 her daughter Poppy was born. On October 3, Amelia was discharged home and into the care of community midwives.
Coroner Jackson said Amelia was aware to take the potassium tablets and to go Dr Clement-Jones’ clinic. There were no concerns from midwives and health visitors after Amelia was discharged home after the birth of Poppy to the time of her death. The mum-of-two also reported no concerns.
A toxicology report found Amelia had no sign of any alcohol or drugs including prescription drugs in her system at the time of her death. Coroner Jackson recorded a narrative conclusion into Amelia's death.
He told the court: “Amelia died from natural causes most probably caused by a sudden arrhythmic cardiac event with a morphological normal heart. This could have possibly been caused by anorexia nervosa [she suffered with] for an extended period and feeling unwell during her pregnancy.”
Previously speaking to the ECHO, partner Tom said: "She was like the glue that held us all together, she did everything."
Friend and fellow beautician Lucy Grayson-Maguire, who set up a GoFundMe page at the time, described Amelia as a "gentle, kind, beautiful soul who could light up a room with her amazing smile and presence."
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