An anguished mum has spoke out about her grief after losing her baby son when 'medics at a city hospital refused a scan'.
Emma Hughes claims she rushed herself to the hospital with bleeding and cramps on August 11 when she was pregnant.
However, the 33-year-old alleges that staff at Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital refused to give her a scan - despite her being at risk for having a low-lying placenta, reports Birmingham Live.
She reports she pleaded with medical staff about her concerns, but states she was told there was 'no point' in her having a scan.
She said: "I explained that I couldn’t bleed because we could both die - but they said they wouldn’t give me a scan because I have one in two weeks time and said there was no point."
She added: "I told them what was happening and was having tightening feelings as well.
"They said it was Braxton-Hicks and as it wasn’t fresh blood that I was fine.
"Obviously my concern was that it wasn’t fresh, how long had it been going on?”
On Saturday, August 21, Emma returned to hospital with more concerns – two days before her scheduled scan.
This time she was given an ultrasound scan and received the heartbreaking news that her baby had no heartbeat.
She delivered her son Jaziah the next day via C-section.
Emma says she bled heavily during the procedure and required a blood transfusion.
The tragic tot was delivered on Rainbow Baby Day – a poignant time for Emma and partner Dwayne - as they had lost a baby at 12 weeks in 2019.
The stay-at-home-mum believes that if she had received a scan when she presented with bleeding, Jaziah could have been saved.
"After it happened the panic and pain I felt was awful because I blamed myself for not doing more,” she said.
"I told myself I should have demanded a scan but when professionals tell you something over and over again, you think you must be ok and are just being paranoid.
"Because they’re experts and they tell you it’s ok, you believe them and listen.
"We think if they would have scanned me then, he might have been saved.
"When we went and they told us there was no heartbeat, two people scanned us and one implied that if I’d have been scanned before, they would have seen something.
"We’re waiting for the reports, but I think that there’s a lot of things that I told them about that they overlooked. They wanted to do a post-mortem on him, but I said no.
"I said they could take my placenta and they took my blood – I’m waiting on the report from both.”
She added: “I was awake for the C-section. It was absolutely horrendous. I bled a lot so had to have a blood transfusion.
"To go down to theatre and know you have to go through major surgery is scary enough.
"But knowing you’re having a baby makes it worth it but then I had to deal with the grief instead.”
After Jaziah was born he was placed in a ‘cuddle cot’ – a cooled-down bed allowing grieving parents to spend time with their child before laying them to rest.
She said that the cot helped herself and Dwayne, 35, cope with the loss of their son.
Emma is now turning her grief into something positive and fundraised to provide another cooling cot for the hospital.
She has created a GoFundMe page in an effort to raise £1,700 for the cot.
She added: "He was placed in a cuddle cot in the hospital and was next to me while I was recovering. I could touch him, hold him, dress him and brush his little hair.
"I was able to come home after three days – they allowed me to bring the cot with me so he could come home. I didn’t want to leave him in the hospital. I got to spend two weeks with him before he was buried.
"It definitely helped, it was such a big comfort. It is horrendous, the grief you feel. But knowing he was with me - he didn’t have to be left anywhere on his own.
"It made me feel better that I was the one looking after him before he was laid to rest. I was worried about him being left in a funeral home with no lights on.
"I used to take him upstairs at night and put cartoons on for him just so it felt like he was comforted before he was buried. I was able to hold him and show him to his older brothers.”
The mum said that Jaziah now has a legacy thanks to the fundraiser.
She said: “I wanted to do something in his memory, so he isn’t forgotten.
"The grief is so hard – I want to keep his name going. Lying in the hospital the thought of leaving him gave me panic attacks.
"The hospital only has three special cots so I knew straight away that I wanted to help them get another one."
Emma and Dwayne share older sons Terelle, five, and Ayrton, 12.
"Terelle was absolutely heartbroken – he kept asking if his baby brother was here yet,” Emma said. "We told him at the hospital that he was sleeping but I think he was waiting for him to wake up.
"It was hard for him to understand. "With him being home, he was able to kiss him and talk to him and show him all of his toys.
"He takes him cards to his grave and will talk to him. Ayrton understood what was going on.
"He’s quite reserved but would come and hold him and he was ok."
Emma and her family are now trying to heal from baby Jaziah’s death - with relatives taking things 'one day at a time'.
"Some days I think I’m doing great and then the grief will hit me. Every morning I feel the pain in my chest and keep thinking that I should be making bottles and changing nappies.
"I just have to keep myself busy. I go and see him every day in the teddy bear garden where he’s buried."
A spokesperson for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust said: “We strive to offer all of our patients the best quality service in all areas.
“We are sorry to hear about the experience Ms Hughes encountered whilst during our care. We take all matters and concerns seriously, and would encourage Ms Hughes to contact our Patient and Liaison Service so her case can be fully investigated”.
You can donate towards Emma’s fundraiser here.
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