A mum has spoken out about her agonising stillbirth after doctors dismissed her bleeding and vomiting through pregnancy.
Rebekah Muldowney and her husband Thomas were anticipating the birth of their little girl Theodora when tragedy struck around their due date.
The 34-year-old was in the 40th week of what had been a textbook pregnancy, when she was rushed to hospital on the morning of August 16, 2020 with bleeding, pain and vomiting, Yorkshire Live reports.
Rebekah was given pain relief and sent home following an assessment of the baby.
She returned to Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield later that evening, reporting contractions, continued vomiting and blood loss.
Three hours later, an ultrasound scan confirmed that baby Theodora had tragically died.
After an induced labour, Theodora was delivered stillborn at around 3.30pm two days later. A post mortem examination report stated the cause of death as acute chorioamniotisis - a bacterial infection affecting the membranes surrounding the baby.
Rebekah is now urging expectant parents to seek a second opinion if they think something is wrong.
Through NHS Resolution, the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust has admitted a breach of duty.
The Trust acknowledged that elements of the care are provided to Rebekah at Pinderfields’s maternity unit “fell below the standard she and her family were entitled to expect.”
The Trust sent a letter of apology to Rebekah, and the parties are working together now to reach a settlement for the family.
Rebekah was represented by medical negligence experts Irwin Mitchell, which represents hundreds of families affected by issues in maternity care.
Rebekah said: “When I was admitted into hospital the second time, I was classed as low-risk.
"Because of this, I was treated just like a scared first-time mum and I wasn’t listened to when I raised concerns about Theo’s reduced movements.
"I ended up being stuck on a waiting list while my baby was in distress.
"It’s not even a year since she died and I think about her every day and often imagine what she would be like now.
"It’s absolutely devastating to know that we’ll never see her grow up; it breaks our hearts."
The law firm is campaigning for improved maternity services across the UK and has also contributed to the English Health Select Committee’s Maternity Safety Call for Evidence.
“I don’t think we’ll ever get over losing Theodora so tragically," sad Rebekah, a graphic designer.
"We were both looking forward to being parents and my pregnancy went by with no problems, so it never even crossed my mind that we wouldn’t be taking our baby girl home from hospital with us and starting a life with her."
“When I was admitted into hospital the second time, I was classed as low risk," said Rebekah.
"Because of this, I was treated just like a scared first-time mum and I wasn’t listened to when I raised concerns about Theo’s reduced movements. I ended up being stuck on a waiting list while my baby was in distress."
"It’s not even a year since she died and I think about her every day and often imagine what she would be like now.
"It’s absolutely devastating to know that we’ll never see her grow up; it breaks our hearts."
Tracy Tai, specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said: “It’s less than a year since Theodora’s death and it’s all still so raw for Rebekah and Thomas.
"What should have been one of the greatest days of their lives turned into the complete opposite and continues to have a profound effect on them.
“Through our work, we sadly see many people dealing with the heartbreak of losing a loved one, and stillbirth is nothing short of traumatic.
“Sadly, we can’t do anything to bring Theodora back, but we welcome the Trust’s admission and now call for lessons to be learned to prevent this happening to others.
“In the meantime, we’ll continue to support Rebekah, Thomas and their family as they continue to attempt to come to terms with their loss as best they can.”
David Melia, director of nursing and quality at The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We offer our deepest, heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the family and we understand that this has been a very traumatic time for all involved.
"Our own investigation into the care we gave the patient and her baby recognised that the care provided to them was deficient and fell below the standard they were entitled to expect.
“We are truly saddened that this care led to the heartbreaking death of their baby, and of course no amount of compensation can replace their loss.
“We want to reassure the family that measures have been put in place to try to prevent this happening to another family.”
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