Please be aware that the following story contains sensitive content that may be distressing or upsetting for some.
Our clients Chloe and John courageously spoke to the media about the stillbirth of their son, Jaxxyn-John.
This was Chloe’s fourth pregnancy. The pregnancy had run smoothly until the 38th week.
At 38 weeks, Chloe complained of swollen ankles during an antenatal appointment. She was transferred to the medical assessment unit (MAU) and was informed that an ultrasound scan had been booked for her, but it was not communicated to her when it would take place. Chloe later found out from an external investigation that she had been booked in for a scan in 6 days’ time, despite protocols requiring the scan to be performed within 72 hours.
A few days later, Chloe experienced signs of labour prompting John to call an ambulance. Paramedics arrived but failed to carry out a proper structured assessment of Chloe. Following a call between the paramedics and MAU, Chloe was advised to remain at home.
Chloe told the BBC that she is ‘angry’ that the paramedics failed to carry out a proper structured assessment of her.
“They didn’t check me over properly and I was told to stay at home.“
The following morning, John called the hospital again as Chloe was due an iron infusion and informed the staff member that Chloe was in a lot of pain and was having contractions. They were advised to remain at home as no appointments were available that morning. A few hours later, Chloe felt like pushing so John phoned the hospital again who advised him to call an ambulance. By the time paramedics arrived, Jaxxyn-John was crowning and was born with no signs of life.
Despite giving birth to Jaxxyn-John at around 11.30am, Chloe was not informed for several hours that he had passed away.
Chloe is currently pregnant. She feels ‘scared and nervous’ about the birth.
‘I have no words to explain what happened. I’m struggling and angry.’
John expressed that it has been very “traumatic”. It was a shock. We think he would have been here if things had been done and we want answers. There are a lot of questions why things weren’t put in place.
“We have a newborn on the way, and we don’t have full trust in the service that is supposed to be looking after us. We are nervous and scared.“
Chloe and John have added their voice to the need for a national public inquiry into maternity services. John stated that they wanted to share their story ‘so people know what happened and so that this doesn’t happen again… it’s country wide and people that are going through it can speak up.’
We are supporting Chloe and John to seek answers about what happened to baby Jaxxyn-John together with other families who have raised concerns about the care provided by Leicester maternity services.
If you have concerns about the maternity care that you or a loved one has received, please contact us for a no-obligation consultation on 0116 254 7456 or at enquiries@moosaduke.com.