Couple Share Photos With Stillborn Daughter Who Died After Midwife Told The Mum to Go Home

A couple have shared the heartbreaking moment they cradled their stillborn daughter who died after a midwife told the mother to go home and take paracetamol despite her agonising pain.

Angela Owens, from Warrington, Cheshire in the UK, had been rushed to Warrington Hospital after developing severe pains during a shopping trip. However, despite raising concerns about the welfare of her unborn baby, a midwife who examined her recommended she go home and take paracetamol.

Yet, Mrs Owens refused to leave and was moved to a birthing pool to await labour – only for tests to reveal the child had no heartbeat. She believes that her baby might have survived if more action had been taken sooner.

The baby, who the couple named Ella, was tragically stillborn, leaving Mrs Owens and partner Paul Humphreys, 31, with a few hours to build memories of their baby in photos.

Yesterday, it emerged that Mrs Owens had been awarded an undisclosed sum of damages from Warrington Hospital following the tragedy shortly before Christmas 2013.

In a statement Mrs Owens said: “I put my complete trust in the staff at Warrington Hospital to provide me and Ella with the care we needed but I feel like we were badly let down.

“I have been fighting for Ella ever since and hope that by taking legal action and bringing this to the attention of the public, that the Trust will ensure it makes changes to maternity services.

“Nothing will change what happened to our family but hopefully problems have been identified and rectified to prevent any other families going through the heartache we have in the last few years.”

Ella was stillborn just after 11pm on 21 December 2013. Tests showed her mother had a placental abruption. “I can’t believe that Ella was alive on arrival at the hospital and was alive in the birthing pool and then she was gone. There could have been a different outcome if I was checked at the right times,” Mrs Owens said.

Ella was one of ten infants who died at the hospital which prompted an investigation by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists which found that the unit was short-staffed, deaths were avoidable and there was often a breakdown in communication.

Medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell investigated Mrs Owens’ case and what she received from the Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The NHS denied liability but said the midwife who examined Mrs Owens had since been retrained following recommendations made in a midwifery report.

However, in an earlier statement, Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “There has been both an internal and independent investigation into this matter and the findings have been shared with the family at every opportunity. We want to again express our sincere condolences to them.”

Source: Dailymail.co.uk