By
Emily Allen
12:54 EST, 18 May 2012
|
12:54 EST, 18 May 2012
A distraught mother gave birth in a hospital waiting room and was then told her baby was dead.
The tragedy happened early on Monday morning, after Sara Proud arrived at Leicester Royal Infirmary only to be told midwives were too busy to move her into a bed from the labour ward’s Day Room.
Ms Proud and partner Steven Yorke, from Leicester, have made a formal complaint to the infirmary about her ordeal, saying the hospital should have done more for her and her baby.
The tragedy happened early on Monday morning, after Sara Proud arrived at Leicester Royal Infirmary – pictured
The couple’s ordeal began on Sunday evening, when Ms Proud went into labour – two days ahead of her due date.
They were concerned because they had been warned earlier in the pregnancy that the baby, whom they had decided to call Kyle, had a suspected heart problem and might have to be rushed straight to specialists at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, as soon as he was born.
The couple arrived at the infirmary’s delivery suite at 11pm on Sunday and were placed in a waiting room.
About an hour later, Ms Proud said she knew the baby was on his way and started screaming for help while Mr Yorke went to try to find a midwife – two of whom came to help.
When he returned moments later, Kyle was already partially born, and despite resuscitation attempts, was declared dead.
Now NHS bosses at the infirmary have admitted they should have seen Ms Proud sooner.
Ms Proud, 36, said: ‘It was bad enough having our baby in that waiting room in front of other people, but coping with his loss as well is just so hard.
The couple arrived at the infirmary’s delivery suite at 11pm on Sunday and were placed in a waiting room
‘We need to know why the care wasn’t better. At the moment we don’t know if things could have been different, and we need some answers.
‘It is the worst thing you can imagine, having your baby in a waiting room with everyone looking, and then finding out he isn’t alive.
‘The first I knew of that was when I was wheeled in to join my partner a little while later. Until then, I had assumed he was all right.
‘I was able to hold Kyle. He looked as if he was just sleeping.’
Mr Yorke, 36, said when they first rang the hospital they were told it was a ‘bit busy’ and did they really need to come in?
He said: ‘This was Sara’s seventh delivery and the others had come very quickly, so staff agreed we should go in.’
‘When we got there, we were put in what seemed to be a waiting room, and there were about three other pregnant women in there, the midwives said they would get to us soon.
‘You could see the cord around the baby’s neck, the midwives managed to pull him out and rushed off with him.
‘They tried to resuscitate him, and then just stopped. Everything just seemed to be a blur after that.’
Mr Yorke added: ‘Sara and I both have children from previous relationships, but Kyle was our first together, and my first son.
‘I feel we were neglected. Sara should have been in a delivery room and the baby monitored.’
The couple now face an eight week wait for the results of a post-mortem examination to find out when and why Kyle died. They can then start arranging his funeral.
Ms Proud said: ‘I feel so cheated. Everything is going round in our heads, and we feel the hospital could have done so much more.’
Jane Porter, head of midwifery at Leicester’s Hospitals said: ‘We are sorry and sad about the tragic death of Ms Proud’s son.
‘We have met with Sara and Steven and we will do so again when further investigations have taken place.
‘It’s clear that we should have seen Sara sooner, what’s not clear is whether her baby died during or some time before the birth and only the post mortem will be able to answer that.’
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what a disgrace NHS – be ashamed!!!
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And Cameron is on about cutting millions more from the NHS?!
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So so sad!! That poor family a birth should be a happy joyous occasion. Rip little one x
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They can fund billions to the flipping Olympics but cannot keep hospitals open hence that is why we are having tragedies like this. This is so sad and so avoidable.
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That poor family, what a terrible ordeal to have to suffer through.
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Terrible tragedy
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how sad. i’m sorry for their loss.
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that thiscan happen in the 21st century is unbeliveable,a truly tragic outcome. to give birth in a public waiting room with no help whilst in a hospital welcome to our nhs.
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Shocking ……..
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Disgusting.
Rest little one.
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