Mum’s anguish as baby girl is stillborn ‘after medics ignored her cries for help then confused her for another patient’
A GRIEVING mum is demanding answers after she was sent home from hospital just days before giving birth to a stillborn child.
Madison Goodwin, 18, was due to have an emergency C-section at 36 weeks following concerns for her baby’s growth.
She visited Southend Hospital, Essex, for a scan on January 11, where she was told she would have the emergency operation.
Madison said she was then told she had been mixed up with another patient with the same name and due date, and another scan revealed her baby was kicking.
She was sent home and informed she would be called back in a few days to be monitored and possibly induced, it is said.
When Madison, from Southend, returned to the hospital on January 13, she was allegedly told there was no heartbeat.
She then was induced to give birth to her stillborn daughter – whom she and partner, Matteo Furiello, named Valentina.
“I’m still quite numb and in shock,” she said.
“It happened so quickly as she was here and then all of a sudden she wasn’t.”
Southend University Hospital was inspected by the Care Quality Commission last year and rated as “requires improvement”, including in its maternity service.
Madison and her mother Dawn are now calling for urgent action following Valentina’s death.
Dawn, 50, said she believes that if Madison had had the C-section as planned then Valentina would still be alive.
She said: “I think there needs to be a thorough investigation into Southend Hospital.
“We want certain procedures to protect mother and baby, like more scans as the pregnancy progresses and two or more consultants who decide on a treatment plan.”
Dawn and Madison said the way information was given to them about Valentina did not always demonstrate the true extent of what was going on.
Madison did not have an easy pregnancy – she suffered from violent sickness in the early stages and was admitted into hospital with dehydration in July.
She was often in pain, especially in her back, and sometimes couldn’t even walk.
She frequently went back to the maternity unit at Southend Hospital with concerns, but Dawn says her daughter was “fobbed off”.
She said: “First they thought it could be kidney stones, then it was a water infection.
“She wasn’t well and nobody seemed to have an answer.”
I’m still quite numb and in shock – it happened so quickly as she was here and then all of a sudden she wasn’t
Madison Goodwin
Madison lost her mucus plug – which usually means labour is about to start as the cervix has begun to dilate – and messaged her midwife, who she says did not reply for 12 days.
On December 7, Madison was allegedly taken by ambulance to Basildon Hospital, where medics informed her the baby was smaller than she should be but she was not in labour.
She was referred back to Southend Hospital, where it was suspected she may have gestational diabetes before she was diagnosed with Strep B, which is common in pregnancy.
She was reportedly told doctors would wait until she was in labour to treat it, when IV antibiotics should be given.
It was in January that a scan revealed Valentina was in the third percentile for weight, meaning she was small and, as her family believe, “at risk”.
Dawn said: “If there were more checks, more scans, this might not have happened and my granddaughter would be here.
“We’ve had an outpouring of support online from friends and family and even other women who have had similar experiences at Southend Hospital.
“We want a full investigation to learn what went wrong and I will fight to hold them negligent and sue them – some good has got to come out of this.
“No compensation will ever bring Valentina back but if we can stop this happening to other babies then we will.”
‘Lifelong trauma’
Madison and Matteo got to spend two days with Valentina at Southend Hospital before she went to Great Ormond Street Hospital for a full post-mortem.
The family are now waiting for answers – and a funeral.
Madison said: “The bereavement midwives that have supported me through my loss have been amazing.
“But since I left the hospital on January 17, I haven’t had any more direct contact with it.
“The idea of other people going through this horrible thing is just as awful – it happens so often and it just gets brushed over.
“This has caused pain and lifelong trauma and I want people to know about it if it stops it from happening again.”
Diane Sarkar, chief nursing and quality officer for Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our condolences go out to the family at this difficult time.
“We would like to reassure them that we have already begun a full investigation and that all stillbirths are automatically reviewed in line with national guidance.
“We are in close contact with the family and are keeping them informed on the progress of the investigation.”
What is a stillbirth?
A STILLBIRTH is when a baby is born dead after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
It happens in around one in every 200 births in England.
Stillbirth differs from a miscarriage or foetal loss, which is when a baby dies before 24 weeks.
There is no one exact cause, but some stillbirths are linked to complications with the placenta.
Others might happen because of a birth defect or a problem with the mother’s heart.
A post-mortem examination is carried out to try to provide more information, but for some, no cause is found.
Bereavement support through the NHS is available for parents following a stillbirth.
The charity Sands can also support anyone affected by the death of a baby.
Source: NHS