Susan’s story
My name is Susan, I am 47 and live in Daventry. I have two children.
Both of my children were born at Northampton General hospital. My daughter was born in March 2006 and my son January 2008.
My daughter was in back-to-back position. Meconium was present. I was screaming that I wanted to die because the pain was horrendous. I was given pethidine with no effect. Staff used a new heart monitor called a STAN machine. The purpose of the machine was to avoid foetal blood sampling. They said the machine must have been faulty but I later learned that they did not know how to use it correctly. I was refused a c-section because the ‘theatres were full’ But then I was given an epidural when I was 10cm dilated and taken down to theatre for a forceps delivery. A crash team came in and began to resuscitate my daughter because she was still born. She came round after 10 minutes and was seizing constantly. She had to be sedated and put on a ventilator, where she was ventilated for two weeks. She was starved of oxygen resulting in organ failure. She remained in the baby unit for 12 weeks. During this whole time, not once did anyone explain to me what had happened. I was taken to the ward where the mothers and babies were but without my baby. I was at the hospital every single day trying to make sense of why my baby was fighting for her life. I had a good pregnancy and was healthy. I took care of myself and had no issues at all.
My daughter went into kidney failure and we were taken to the room with the box of tissues. We were told there was nothing else they could do. Remarkably, her kidneys kicked in the following day. She had chronic kidney failure and had a transplant in May 2022.
As a result of negligence, my daughter sustained a severe brain injury and is profoundly disabled. She is non-verbal global developmentally delayed, has epilepsy, cannot walk and is a kidney transplant patient. I had very little support post birth and only received a diagnosis of PTSD when I paid for private psychology. Before then, I was diagnosed with depression. I was physically and mentally injured. I needed surgery for a huge prolapse.
I am grateful to the doctors and nurses who have treated my daughter since her birth. My son was born via an elective c-section where my experience was made to feel beautiful and safe. I am disappointed that there was no duty of candour. If I had been given an explanation as to what happened, I think I would have healed much faster.
