Hull mum "robbed" after midwives errors lead to the loss of her unborn child
4 in 10 mums-to-be say they don't feel confident speaking to their doctor or midwife about any health concerns.
With new research showing 4 in 10 mums feel reluctant to talk to their midwife about any health concerns - a mum from Hull has told us how she feels "robbed" after hospital errors lead to the loss of her unborn child.
If doctors had delivered Kelly Attree's twins two weeks early - like she asked after noticing something was wrong - her son Samuel would have survived.
She now suffers with post traumatic stress disorder as a result of her experience.
It's as around 30% of mums-to-be admit to having concerns during pregnancy and more than a quarter said they were dismissed by their midwife.
Kelly told Viking:
"It was more the case that I was taken down as a fussy mum, obviously I had given birth before and I wasn't a first time mum so I wasn't over anxious. I did know my own body and I did know something wrong but I wasn't listened to.
"If your body is telling you that there is something wrong and if your mind is telling you that there is something wrong then don't take no for an answer. I've actually been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and I am forever changed as a person. My daughter has lost her twin which means she will never share that bond and I feel that she has been robbed.
"I don't feel like I was listened to but I also don't feel like it is down to the midwifes' fault and think it is more down to the fact that our NHS is so stressed and I don't think they have the amount of equipment and training to cope with the amount of women who are giving birth at the moment."
Helena Wood is from Hudgell Solicitors which carried out the study and represented Kelly's case. She told Viking that cases like this are on the rise:
"We have taken on a lot of these sorts of cases over the last few years but what we would hope is that these cases will reduce because the guidelines from NHS England are to refocus attention on the risk factors for still births and to pick up, investigate and acrry out further tests and perhaps accelerate the birth if that is warranted.
"Figures are that 60% of stillbirths could be reduced so if mums-to-be have noticed recurring or reduced feotal movement then that is something that warrants further investigation because it can potentially be a risk factor for stillbirth.
"In Kelly's case, she felt that there was a problem and everything she felt was backed up as when we got the expert independent records, it showed that Kelly had requested an induction of her labour two weeks before and if that had been done, our expert analysis suggests that her son, Samuel, would have survived in the balance of probabilities."
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