Mum forced into stillborn birth as induced labour rejected at 'full' hospital
A heartbroken mum was forced to give birth to her stillborn baby after her pleas for induced labour were rejected because the maternity ward was full.
Amy Walters, 24, and her partner Jordon Quilt, 25, were "overjoyed" when they found out they were expecting. However, her pregnancy was later deemed "high risk" after her daughter's growth was found to be below average.
The mum, who is a dispatch coordinator, was taken to Walsall Manor Hospital in the Midlands after she noticed reduced movements. Amy begged for her induced labour to be moved forward but she was told it was not possible as the ward was at full capacity. She was sent home but returned two days later with the same issue as she felt "deep down that something wasn't right."
Hospital staff were unable to locate a heartbeat and delivered the devastating news that their daughter Heidi had tragically died. Amy was induced and delivered Heidi the following day on January 8. An investigation has since found the hospital trust "missed opportunities" to review her care and failed to act upon concerns. Speaking about her ordeal, the mum said: "When we found out we were expecting we were overjoyed and couldn’t wait to welcome Heidi into our lives. Initially I felt reassured that I was under the care of doctors and thought that would mean I would receive the best care possible.
Amy gave birth to Heidi earlier this year (Irwin Mitchell / SWNS)"However, after 35 weeks I started to be concerned as Heidi was plotted as being small. However, each time I tried to raise concerns in appointments, or visited hospital, it felt like I wasn’t really being listened to. After New Year I knew deep down something wasn’t right." She said she wanted to stay in the hospital to be monitored but she was sent home. "Those couple of days after being sent home before returning to hospital were awful," she recalled. "Nothing prepared us for the news Heidi had died. We were shattered. Having to then deliver Heidi just added to the distress we were going through.”
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It was reported that Amy had her final growth scan on November 29, 2022, at 35 weeks and attended ante-natal appointments on December 7 and 12. At the second appointment, Heidi’s growth wasn’t measured and Amy said she was told everything was fine. But the following day Amy, who was 40 weeks pregnant, attended the maternity unit with concerns about her bleeding but was sent home. She continued to be concerned about her baby’s reduced movement and attended hospital again just before 11am on January 7. It was that point Amy and her partner Jordon were told Heidi had died in the womb.
Amy has now spoken for the first time about her ordeal and is calling for lessons to be learned from their tragic loss. She added: "While we’ll forever cherish those few precious moments we got to spend with Heidi, it’s difficult not to think of how she should be at home with us. We had so many plans for the future. All we wanted was to bring Heidi home and start our family life together. I want to encourage any first time mums in particular to always listen to those gut feelings and always speak out if you feel that something isn’t right. By speaking out we just hope lessons can be learned. We wouldn’t wish what we’re going through on anyone. Support is available and nobody should have to go through the ordeal of losing their baby alone.”
A report by the Trust found several missed opportunities to review Amy’s care and assess Heidi’s growth, including on December 7 and 12 as well as Christmas Day. Amy’s initial care management didn’t meet national or regional care guidelines, the report said. It added the care issues identified “were likely to have made a difference to the outcome for the baby.” In a letter to Amy, the Trust said “there were things that could have been done differently” for which it was “extremely sorry.” In the letter, it added that Amy should have had another growth scan at 39 weeks. As Heidi was very small when she was delivered, it’s possible that a growth scan “would have picked this up and we would have acted by way of inducing labour before Heidi passed away,” the Trust said. Following Heidi’s death the couple instructed medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate Amy’s care under Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust.
Kayleigh Hunter, specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, described the case as "truly tragic" and said: “Amy and Jordon are devastated by the events that unfolded and Heidi’s death. What should have been such a happy time for the family ended in heartache. While nothing can ever make up for their loss we’re determined to provide Amy and Jordon with all of the answers they deserve. Sadly through our work we continue to see too many families who have been left trying to pick up the pieces as a result of issues in maternity safety. We urge the Trust to learn lessons from the issues identified to prevent other families having to endure the pain Amy and Jordon are going through. Patient safety should be the fundamental priority and we continue to campaign for improvements in maternity care.”
Jo Wright, director of midwifery and gynaecology at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “Firstly I wish to offer my deepest condolences to Amy and her family on the loss of their baby daughter Heidi. We’ve conducted a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading up to Heidi’s birth, one of the aims of which is to identify learning.
"As there is an ongoing legal investigation we are unable to comment further but will co-operate fully with this process."
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, Sands, a stillbirth and neonatal death charity, may be able to help. You can visit the Sands website here.
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