'I knew they weren't going to believe us': Parents of baby girl who died after swallowing a battery claim hospital staff refused to x-ray their dying toddler

  • Isabella Rees died on February 4, 2015, at Sunshine Hospital in Melbourne
  • An inquest has now heard she presented with horrific symptoms to doctors
  • The Taylor's Hill one-year-old had blackened faeces, clots and vomited up blood
  • Bella was taken to the hospital three times but denied an x-ray, the court heard

By Charlie Coë For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 01:59 EST, 12 November 2018 | Updated: 04:06 EST, 12 November 2018

A baby girl who died after swallowing a button battery was denied an x-ray in the weeks before despite horrific symptoms including clots and blood vomiting, her parents claim.

Isabella Rees died on February 4, 2015, and an inquest has now heard Ms Rees took Bella to Melbourne's Sunshine Hospital three times in just two weeks to find out if something was stuck inside her. 

But the court heard despite presenting with the symptoms, which also included blackened faeces, doctors said whatever was inside her would pass through. 

 Isabella Rees (pictured) died on February 4, 2015, and an inquest has now heard Ms Rees took Bella to Melbourne's Sunshine Hospital three times in just two weeks to find out if something was stuck inside her 

 Isabella Rees (pictured) died on February 4, 2015, and an inquest has now heard Ms Rees took Bella to Melbourne's Sunshine Hospital three times in just two weeks to find out if something was stuck inside her 

Mrs Rees' husband Robert also told doctors the first time they went to the emergency room on January 16, 2015 he had seen the baby holding a double-A battery at their Taylor's Hill home.

On the first day of the inquest into Bella's death, her mother said she knew each time they went into the hospital they would be turned away.

According to The Herald Sun, she said: 'I knew they weren't going to believe us.

The family also said at inquest they wished they had known more about the impact swallowing a button battery could have on their child (stock image)

The family also said at inquest they wished they had known more about the impact swallowing a button battery could have on their child (stock image)

'Because every time we went we had evidence - we were just disregarded.' 

The family also said they wished they had known more about the impact swallowing a button battery could have on their child.

The Rees' have banded together since the baby's death and fought regulations around the batteries.

Bella's mother claimed the reason she wanted the case taken to inquest was not to place blame, but to better educate people about the risk of children and batteries.

She said the hospital had since told her they had reformed their triage procedure.

But she added they also told her it was not hospital policy to x-ray a small child unless it could be proven they had swallowed something that could endanger them.

Pictured is an x-ray of a button battery lodged in a child's throat, shared by parents trying to raise awareness of the danger of button batteries

Pictured is an x-ray of a button battery lodged in a child's throat, shared by parents trying to raise awareness of the danger of button batteries

Ms Rees denied accusations from Western Healthy barrister Arushan Pillay she had researched battery button symptoms before she made a statement to police after Bella's death.

In a tribute to Isabella after she died her family wrote 'what we would give to have another chance to hear your voice, to feel your kiss and to see you grow. Our hearts are broken. We love you Bella.'

In 2013 Summer Steer, 4, died after swallowing a battery when she was wrongly diagnosed in Queensland.  

Isabella's death came two years after Summer Steer, 4, died when she swallowed a button battery

Isabella's death came two years after Summer Steer, 4, died when she swallowed a button battery

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Parents of baby girl who died after swallowing battery claim staff refused to x-ray dying toddler 

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