A mum-of-five claims her baby has been left with developmental issues after she received 'awful' care from a hospital’s maternity services.

Emma Watson, 29, says she has been left traumatised after the birth of her daughter Isabelle at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust has apologised ‘unreservedly’ for aspects of her care, but dispute some of her claims.

Miss Watson says a paediatrician believes Isabelle suffered a stroke in the womb after she noticed she was underweight and rarely smiled.

She blames her daughter’s problems on the hospital’s refusal to believe she was suffering from pre-eclampsia, which Miss Watson says was diagnosed on more than one occasion. 

She said: "She's three-months-old, she doesn't hold her head up, she's like a newborn baby.

"She's got a huge development delay and she's actually being tested for Cerebral Palsy now as well, all because of that care.

"My paediatrician said to me that if I had been induced the minute that it was found that I had pre-eclampsia, life would be so much different.

"My daughter could suffer from issues for the rest of her life because of the lack of care in that hospital.”

Miss Watson says during her numerous visits to the hospital, she witnessed:

  • 'Overwhelmed' midwives break down in floods of tears because of extreme pressures
  • Women forced to give birth in the post-natal ward due to bed shortages
  • A 'high-risk' mother left waiting to be induced for up to 14 days because of a lack of staff

She claims her own care fell short in a number of ways, including:

  • '90 percent' of it being delivered by first year student midwives
  • Missing notes blamed on doctors being 'too busy to write them' 
  • Staff continually arguing about her level of care, with one doctor said to have been "disgusted" at her treatment
  • Midwives repeatedly ignoring her calls for help while she was in hospital

"I was just waiting for someone to die on that ward because the lack of care was horrendous, and to be honest, I thought it was going to be me," she said.

"I thought, 'this is how I die' - I die trying to have my last baby and all my kids are going to be without a mum.”

Miss Watson was admitted to hospital at 34 weeks with gastric pain and swelling after raising concerns about her health with midwives for over a month.

It was suspected that she may be suffering from pre-eclampsia, a potentially fatal condition for both mother and baby.

However, in the weeks that followed, Miss Watson says midwives and consultants constantly argued about her diagnosis while her health continued to decline.

Miss Watson lost two stone, seven pounds through ill health but said midwives "congratulated" her on her weight loss.

The growth of her baby dropped from the 92nd percentile to below the 45th.

She claims she was discharged from hospital despite extreme swelling, "excruciating" headaches and a loss of sight and says a midwife ‘refused’ to review her scan as there were more ‘pressing matters’.

When consultants finally agreed to induce her, Miss Watson, from Redditch, says she was described by one member of staff as a "ticking time-bomb".

Her legs had swollen to the point that even the largest available compression stockings were cutting her skin and she was treated for suspected sepsis.

Worcester News:

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has apologised but disputes that she was ever diagnosed with pre-eclampsia.

They also insist that Miss Watson was appropriately monitored throughout her pregnancy.

Justine Jeffery, Director of Midwifery of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "While we would not comment in detail on a patient’s case, we have looked into the concerns that Ms Watson has raised with us, and written back to her with a comprehensive and detailed response. 

"We set ourselves high standards of patient care and have apologised to her for any part of her experience which fell below this, and we have also tried to provide reassurance and clarification regarding the treatment she received. 

"An opportunity to meet with one of our obstetric consultants to discuss her care and experience face to face has also been offered."