Mum blasts 'terrible decisions' of healthcare staff after traumatic birth

The woman, who does not wish to be identified, is also calling on healthcare bosses to improve their treatment of patients with autism as well as expectant mothers who are overweight.

She had an emergency caesarean section at Rotherham Hospital in August last year with her overdue new-born son rushed to the special care baby unit soon after.

Days later she had to be hospitalised when infection set in after the wound from the operation did not heal correctly.

Having also previously suffered previous miscarriages ahead of her son's arrival, the woman says her ordeal has left her traumatised if she so much as hears emergency siren sounds.

“Medical professionals were incompetent, disregarded my autism, and made terrible decisions, all of which has left me with deep trauma,” she said.

She had originally opted for a natural delivery on passing her due date of July 20 last year after her previous pregnancy ended in a home birth, although the mum had three caesareans prior to that.

“The healthcare professionals were asking me to agree to a caesarean, but I didn't want to go through major abdominal surgery now I'd made it this far,” she explained.

The overdue baby's heart rate was monitored and she was given some examinations but, due her prior obstetric history, some induction methods were not available to her and others were deemed 'medically inappropriate' as the baby's head was not engaged.

Despite this, the woman claims she was subjected to a particularly invasive technique.

“I have never felt pain like this before,” she said.

“It was unbearable.

“I asked her to stop three times but she only stopped when she was finished.”

“I raised this with other medical professionals and future examinations were supervised by another member of staff, but there was no apology or explanation.”

When the woman went into labour at home at 44 weeks a midwife and ambulance were called and she was taken to hospital.

“I was already at the involuntary pushing stage, I couldn't control it.

“But the (Yorkshire Ambulance Service) crew were talking among themselves that 'there's no way she's in active labour' and one male paramedic kept singing 'It Started With A Kiss' over and over again.

“I found it inappropriate and insulting.”

In the hospital the woman's waters broke but contained thick meconium or faeces – often a sign of fetal distress in labour.

“I shouted 'Get me a Caesarean now!,” she said.

“I knew he was in distress as his heart rate kept dropping lower and lower and wasn't recovering and I kept shouting for a Caesarean.

“The pain was really bad and they took me to theatre – I did not get chance to say goodbye to my husband – and the doctor is talking to me whilst I am screaming in agony, saying, was I sure I wanted to have my tubes tied?

“To which I was screaming: ‘Yes! Just get him out!’

“I woke up in the recovery room and see my husband, I don't see a baby or a cot.

“My husband looks to be in a state of shock but answers that he's in SCBU, I have never had a baby in SCBU before.”

The mother later found out her son had been born dead.

“They had issues in bringing him back to us,” she said. “They resuscitated him and it took three minutes before he took his first breath.

“I had had a 'category 1 Risk to life caesarean' and was moved to the high dependency unit because I had lost nearly two litres of blood.

“After a four-day stay I am discharged.

“Being autistic I can misinterpret things – things that touch me can be overwhelming.

“I said I had only had dis-solvable stitches until now and expressed my concerns about the pain of them taking the stitches out.

“I ask about another PICO dressing which I had used after a C-section before to keep my wound clean and dry given my 'large apron style' belly.

“This was dismissed, as were my additional sensory needs and instead the the midwives came out to remove the stitches.

“I was using a pad for comfort on the wound to try and wick away any moisture and started to notice some discharge and an odd smell.

“Later pieces of skin were coming off and I rang the labour ward who initially admitted me at 5pm to the antenatal ward which was really triggering for me as it was where things had literally taken a bad turn just days before.

“I was finally seen at 2am and when the doctor lifted my stomach, his eyes widened and his mouth opened – the smell was horrendous – and he requested immediate IV antibiotics.

“With this level of delay with this kind of infection, I was extremely lucky to not contract sepsis, which can be deadly.

“I needed emergency surgery to clean the wound out, it had completely broken down.

“I then have to have the wound dressed and packed daily which is traumatic given my autism and sensory difficulties.

“I am given gas and air to help me through the repeated trauma of the dressing changes, but even the apparently 'specialised' nurses with autism training instructed me I didn't need it and needed a fidget toy instead!”

After 13 days in hospital the woman was discharged, with community nurses visiting her at home, before returning to have the wound closed in theatre.

“This time, I had a PICO on for seven days and then it was changed for another for a seven-day stint - which is what I wanted the first time around - and I healed well.”

She added: “Now if I see a nurse in uniform that affects me.

“Or the 'blues and twos' - because that was how they got me to hospital – that's a trigger.

“There was no consideration at all as to how I felt about any of it.

“There needs to be far more consideration given to patients that are autistic and people who are overweight by healthcare professionals.”

A spokesperson for Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are sincerely sorry for this family’s experience.

“On this occasion we did not deliver the standard of care the patient expected and understand the distress this has caused for the mother.

““We strive to support personalised care, choice and informed decision-making, and there are care pathways in place to support patients with autism.

“On this occasion the care we have provided has not met the mother’s needs.

“We have listened to the family’s experiences and we are addressing the concerns raised to improve the care we provide to mothers in the lead up to, and after, birth.”

A spokesperson for Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust said: “Our main priority is to provide all of our patients with high quality, compassionate care.

“We are sorry to hear of an ambulance service-related issue raised by this patient and can confirm that their representative has contacted the trust in this regard.

“This issue is currently being looked into and a response will be provided to them shortly.”