Doctors warned of the dangers at Cavan General Hospital years before the deaths of a number of babies at the facility which are now under investigation.
Internal hospital documents - seen by the Sunday Independent - show increasing fears over patient safety among the maternity unit's senior consultants.
The warnings come as it emerged the deaths of four babies at the hospital are being investigated, including a baby who died during a Caesarean section delivery last week.
Two others baby deaths were also reviewed internally by the hospital and there have also been at least four other "near death" incidents which the hospital did not believe required further investigation.
A medical review is underway, but Health Minister Leo Varadkar has insisted there is no need for HIQA to investigate the maternity unit at Cavan.
