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readers → publish → themes
A pregnant woman whose baby had died was sent home from hospital still carrying the child and told to make an appointment later in the week to give birth.
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baby → die → birth
Danielle Brown, 31, from North Tyneside, had already been wrongly discharged despite having the life-threatening condition pre-eclampsia and had returned because she was still unwell.
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she → discharge → condition
After insisting on returning to the maternity unit, she was finally seen and doctors discovered her baby had died.
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baby → insist → unit
Danielle would later describe the silence, the screen turned away from her, and turning to her partner to say: "I think she's gone."
Being sent home with Danielle carrying the baby was "horrible", her partner said, "lying in bed and holding that belly" knowing their baby was not alive.
The Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust said it fully accepted "aspects of the care we provided fell short" and offered a "heartfelt apology".
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we → describe → apology
Danielle and her 34-year-old partner Anthony Miller had been delighted to learn they were having a baby girl.
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they → delight → girl
"I was just over the moon, I couldn't be happier," Anthony said.
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Anthony → say → moon
They decided to call their daughter Maisie.
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They → decide → daughter
But, seven months into her pregnancy in February 2023, Danielle woke up feeling unwell.
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Danielle → wake → February
Her face was swollen, as were her hands and feet - all potential signs of pre-eclampsia, external, which can be life threatening to both mother and baby.
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which → threaten → mother
The couple went to the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington, Northumberland, but medics found problems with Maisie's heart rate and told Danielle her baby needed to be delivered immediately via emergency caesarean section, external.
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baby → go → section
"Maisie's heart rate had dropped and a midwife ran in and said 'don't panic, but I need to pull the emergency cord - you're having your baby'," Danielle said.
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Danielle → drop → baby
The midwife told her space was being found for her at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle and doctors there "were going to do the section", she said.
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she → tell → section
She was transferred by ambulance but, once in Newcastle, Danielle did not have the operation and was instead put on a ward.
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Danielle → transfer → ward
"A consultant came to see me and he said I am staying in hospital until Maisie was born," she said.
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she → come → hospital
But, the following day, another doctor reviewed her and sent her home.
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doctor → review → her
Within 24 hours, again feeling unwell, Danielle called the maternity unit and said she was told she probably had a stomach bug.
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she → feel → bug
But she insisted on being seen.
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she → insist → ?
"When I finally had a scan, the screen was turned away and there was no sound," Danielle said.
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Danielle → have → scan
She remembers turning to her partner and saying: "I think she's gone."
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she → remember → partner
Doctors were unable to find Maisie's heartbeat and they told Danielle her baby had died.
But, instead of delivering the baby, as she expected, Danielle was given a phone number, and sent home.
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Danielle → find → number
She said they told her to "give us a call on Friday morning, and book a slot to come in and have Maisie".
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they → say → Maisie
At home the couple struggled to cope.
"
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couple → struggle → home
It was horrible," Anthony said.
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Anthony → say → ?
"Lying in bed and holding that belly, and still being able to feel Maisie but knowing she wasn't alive."
Two days later and after 10 hours in labour, Danielle gave birth to a baby girl.
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Danielle → lie → girl
"When Maisie was born the room was silent," she said.
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she → bear → ?
"Seeing Maisie was bittersweet.
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Seeing → see → Maisie
I told her she was beautiful and I loved her.
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I → tell → her
"It was devastating that my first experience of holding a baby was holding my stillborn daughter."
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experience → hold → daughter
Speaking publicly for the first time about what happened, Danielle said no-one should be sent home still carrying a baby who has died.
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who → speak → baby
"Don't," she said.
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she → say → ?
"When we left hospital, we gave Maisie one last cuddle and kiss and told her we loved her and were sorry things couldn't have been different.
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things → leave → her
But, after saying goodbye to their daughter, the couple faced further distress.
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couple → say → distress
To leave the hospital they had to walk past other parents holding their babies.
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they → leave → babies
"We should have been leaving with our baby too, but we were leaving with a memory box," Danielle said.
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Danielle → leave → box
"All the new mums were walking out carrying their babies.
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mums → walk → babies
"That will stay with me forever."
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That → stay → me
The couple want every hospital in the UK to provide an alternative way out for grieving mothers, to "make a different route for a parent who has just lost a child".
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who → want → child
The trust's executive director of nursing and midwifery, Ian Joy, said: "We fully accept that aspects of the care we provided fell short of the standards the family had every right to expect and offer a heartfelt apology for this.
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family → say → this
"Following a detailed review in 2023, we improved urgent assessment for women who come to our maternity services with unexpected symptoms or suspected complications and introduced quicker escalation procedures when there are concerns."
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who → follow → procedures
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia
