Latest news with #stillbirth
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Grace visited doctors with health concerns eight times in her last week of pregnancy. On the ninth visit, she was told her baby was stillborn
Grace* was just over 40 weeks pregnant when she arrived at a public hospital in regional New South Wales. The Gamilaraay woman had been excited for the pending birth of her first child, a son called Koa. Her husband's job meant he was often away for long stretches of time, but on this day, by chance, he was by her side attending her ultrasound for the first time. They were both waiting for the reassuring sounds of a heartbeat, a kick to the ribs to let her know her baby was OK. It didn't come. 'This was his first time seeing our baby on the ultrasound, but it was not a good one. That's when they told us that it was no heartbeat,' Grace says. 'He was gone.' It was Grace's ninth trip to the hospital after a flurry of presentations between her GP, local hospital and a larger major hospital where she had sought help with worrying symptoms. Her hands and feet became puffy at 39 weeks gestation; she was unable to wear her jewellery or watch. She'd had pains in her abdomen from undiagnosed gallstones earlier in her pregnancy but they were dismissed as indigestion. She visited her GP several times before being advised to go to the small local hospital. Each time her blood pressure was checked, she had given a urine sample and had been advised to go home. At 39 weeks gestation, she was advised against having her baby induced. One week later, her baby was confirmed to have died of complications from preeclampsia. After the ultrasound which revealed her son had died, Grace was given medication to bring on labour, told to go and get some dinner and come back to the hospital once contractions had started. 'We went back to the hospital and they gave us a room in the birthing suite away from the other mothers,' she says. She was in labour for two days. Grace strongly believes that if she had been listened to when she first began to seek medical attention, her son would be alive today. The day Grace speaks to Guardian Australia would have been Koa's ninth birthday. Instead, their only interaction was in a CuddleCot, a specialised cot with a cooling system to allow grieving families to spend time with their deceased baby. 'It's just really hard not to hear like that first cry, and your body just does strange things,' she says. 'He was laying in the little cot, I was looking at him, and just even though I knew, there was still some hope in me that his chest would move, or he'd start crying. I refused to believe what I was going through.' At those previous medical appointments, Grace says, her blood pressure readings were fluctuating 'dramatically', with some readings very high. She says she consistently showed elevated protein levels in her urine. Both are potential red flags for preeclampsia, a pregnancy complication which can be life-threatening for mother and baby. After three visits, between her GP and her local hospital, Grace was told by her obstetrician to present to another hospital two hours away, where she was monitored overnight before being discharged and told to go to her local GP. Her blood pressure at the GP clinic read 157/95, indicative of hypertension or preeclampsia. She was then told to go back to the local hospital to get her blood pressure rechecked – which yielded the same result. After half an hour her blood pressure dropped and she was told to go home and see her GP again the next day, and have her blood pressure checked every 48 hours. She says she was advised about decreased foetal movements, and told that her GP was against an induction and advised her to 'wait for the baby to be ready to come' – despite her pregnancy complications. She says a week after she was discharged – after eight visits to her GP and hospital with erratic and high blood pressure readings – she realised she hadn't felt the baby move, and so ate something to see if that would encourage movement. She said to her husband that she felt they weren't being listened to. 'I don't actually know what to do at this point,' she said. 'We go to the doctor, and they tell us to go to hospital. We go to the hospital, then they tell us to go back to the doctor, and it's just like a vicious cycle.' Grace called the maternity ward that had admitted her and was initially told to go to the local hospital before being advised to present to the maternity ward. She says she felt excited that she might get some help. Instead she was told her child was dead. 'There was no real time to process the news,' she says. 'I had to give natural birth and that [took] two days. They would not give me a C-section because they said that I would have mental problems from having to look at a scar on my stomach. But I still have problems from that experience. They treated me giving birth [to a dead baby] like a normal person who's having a live baby.' Guardian Australia has been investigating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women's experiences in maternal care and midwifery, uncovering complaints of culturally unsafe care, allegations of discrimination, unwanted medical interventions and infant removals. Grace says she is unable to say if her Aboriginal heritage was a factor but strongly believes her concern that something was wrong was dismissed by both local doctors and the hospital. She sued NSW Health over the incident and the department settled without prejudice and with no admissions of liability. Her lawyer, Linda Crawford, a former midwife who now works for Catherine Henry Lawyers, claims Grace was let down by the medical system. 'There were many missed opportunities in the care provided to [her],' Crawford says. Crawford says she believes there is often a lack of appropriate expertise and medical experience in remote and regional areas that, coupled with the complex needs of patients and the vast areas that small local hospitals cover, can have adverse outcomes despite the best efforts of health professionals. In response to questions from Guardian Australia, NSW Health says it is 'committed to ensuring pregnant women, their babies and families receive high quality, safe and timely maternity care' but would not provide any further comment on Grace's case. 'We acknowledge the deep and lasting grief associated with the loss of a child and we extend our sincere condolences to all families impacted by stillbirth,' a NSW Health spokesperson said. Grace, who has since had two more children, says it is vital that women are listened to by health professionals and failure to do so can lead to devastating outcomes. 'All women need to be listened to,' she says. 'I just want the right treatment. I wanted to be heard and I wasn't.' *Names have been changed In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. The Indigenous crisis hotline is 13 YARN, 13 92 76. Stillbirth support can be accessed via the Stillbirth Foundation Australia.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Bereaved dad climbs Greek mountain 50 times
A Halifax man has completed two extraordinary physical challenges, amounting to 170 miles (274km), in memory of his baby daughter. Ben Moorhouse walked non-stop from the Angel of the North in Gateshead to Manchester on 12 July, before boarding a plane a week later to the Greek island of Rhodes, where he climbed a mountain 50 times over the course of 13 hours. The 42-year-old's daughter, Kallipateira, was stillborn at 37 weeks in 2018. Mr Moorhouse, who has raised more than £13,000 from the challenge, said he wanted to open up conversations around baby loss to help other grieving parents. The money raised will go to Tommy's Rainbow Clinic in Manchester to fund research into preventing stillbirths. Mr Moorhouse's partner Gaynor Thomson gave birth to their son Apollon there in 2020. Mr Moorhouse said he managed to complete both challenges with the help of some "Yorkshire grit and determination". He said: "It was a massive mental test, but we managed to get through both. "At the moment there's a Greek heatwave so temperatures were 40C and above. "There was no shade whatsoever. "It was absolutely brutal. "My feet were aching quite a bit last night and my knee was swollen. "But compared to what some people in the world are dealing with, it's trivial. "The power of love for my daughter kept me going when the going got tough. "I just reminded myself why I was doing it." Mr Moorhouse is no stranger to extreme physical challenges, having completed several over the last decade. But his preparation for this task was complicated by injury, as he damaged cruciate ligaments in his right knee just nine weeks beforehand, hampering his training plans. He could not even walk in a straight line until four weeks beforehand. But despite suffering "severe cramps" in his calf on Prophet Elias Monastery Mountain, he managed to complete his 50th and final ascent just after 19:00 local time (17:00 BST) on Sunday. Mr Moorhouse, who works for a housing association, said: "I don't very often say I'm proud of myself because I'm quite humble about what I do, but I gave myself a pat on the back when I finished, because it's been a tough year with injury." He and Miss Thomson set up the Kallipateira Moorhouse Foundation to fund the research at Tommy's Rainbow Clinic, which they said would benefit parents across the UK. The clinic offers specialist care for women who have suffered a previous stillbirth or neonatal death. Mr Moorhouse said the subject of stillbirths was often "brushed under the carpet" and that friends and neighbours of grieving parents often struggled to know how to help. "To put yourself in that person's shoes, I understand, is such a difficult thing to do," he said. "But this happens every single day to parents all around the UK. "You don't have to have a big conversation about what's happened, just a simple acknowledgement to say, 'I'm thinking of you, I'm here if you need anything'. "Not saying something is far worse than saying something you think is wrong." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Related stories Father takes on walking goal in daughter's memory A baby loss certificate would be 'powerful validation of grief' Bereaved dads given support in 'macho' industry Related internet links Kallipateira Moorhouse Foundation Solve the daily Crossword
BBC News
13 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Halifax dad Ben Moorhouse completes Rhodes mountain climb
A Halifax man has completed two extraordinary physical challenges, amounting to 170 miles (274km), in memory of his baby Moorhouse walked non-stop from the Angel of the North in Gateshead to Manchester on 12 July, before boarding a plane a week later to the Greek island of Rhodes, where he climbed a mountain 50 times over the course of 13 42-year-old's daughter, Kallipateira, was stillborn at 37 weeks in Moorhouse, who has raised more than £13,000 from the challenge, said he wanted to open up conversations around baby loss to help other grieving parents. The money raised will go to Tommy's Rainbow Clinic in Manchester to fund research into preventing Moorhouse's partner Gaynor Thomson gave birth to their son Apollon there in Moorhouse said he managed to complete both challenges with the help of some "Yorkshire grit and determination". He said: "It was a massive mental test, but we managed to get through both."At the moment there's a Greek heatwave so temperatures were 40C and above."There was no shade whatsoever."It was absolutely brutal."My feet were aching quite a bit last night and my knee was swollen."But compared to what some people in the world are dealing with, it's trivial."The power of love for my daughter kept me going when the going got tough."I just reminded myself why I was doing it."Mr Moorhouse is no stranger to extreme physical challenges, having completed several over the last decade. But his preparation for this task was complicated by injury, as he damaged cruciate ligaments in his right knee just nine weeks beforehand, hampering his training could not even walk in a straight line until four weeks despite suffering "severe cramps" in his calf on Prophet Elias Monastery Mountain, he managed to complete his 50th and final ascent just after 19:00 local time (17:00 BST) on Moorhouse, who works for a housing association, said: "I don't very often say I'm proud of myself because I'm quite humble about what I do, but I gave myself a pat on the back when I finished, because it's been a tough year with injury." He and Miss Thomson set up the Kallipateira Moorhouse Foundation to fund the research at Tommy's Rainbow Clinic, which they said would benefit parents across the UK. The clinic offers specialist care for women who have suffered a previous stillbirth or neonatal Moorhouse said the subject of stillbirths was often "brushed under the carpet" and that friends and neighbours of grieving parents often struggled to know how to help. "To put yourself in that person's shoes, I understand, is such a difficult thing to do," he said."But this happens every single day to parents all around the UK."You don't have to have a big conversation about what's happened, just a simple acknowledgement to say, 'I'm thinking of you, I'm here if you need anything'."Not saying something is far worse than saying something you think is wrong." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
A baby loss certificate would be 'powerful validation of grief'
Women who lost pregnancies before 24 weeks have said a baby loss certificate will be a "powerful symbol of validation for the grief that parents are going through". Currently in Northern Ireland, the death of a baby after 24 weeks is officially recorded as a stillbirth but there is no formal recognition of loss before 24 weeks, as there is in England. The finance minister has said it is his intention to introduce a similar scheme in Northern Ireland before the end of the year and a public consultation seeking views from bereaved parents has received more than 540 responses. He is keen to hear from as many people as possible, before it closes in News NI has spoken to three bereaved women about their experiences. Selina Casey, from Kilrea in County Londonderry, was prompted to set up the White Butterfly Foundation to help other parents when she found support was lacking after her own loss. Selina's story starts in February 2021, when she was pregnant with her third child. She arrived to an appointment at 18 weeks, "just assuming everything would be grand", but was told her baby had no heartbeat. "I was told: 'You're going to have to take medication and come in and deliver your son'," she said. Three days later, she delivered her son after a 12-hour labour at the Causeway Hospital. "I left the hospital the next day with him and a leaflet," she added. 'We want to talk about our baby and call them by their name' Her charity was set up "for bereaved parents, by bereaved parents". "I remember leaving the hospital and feeling like I had nothing to remember my child," she said. She said her child has a grave but she has "no certificate for him and nothing else to say that he was here". "These certificates are going to mean so much to the parents of Northern Ireland," she added. "Not that we ever want to have a hierarchy of grief, but there are different feelings that come at different stages of pregnancy loss. At the earlier stages, prior to 24 weeks, there can be feelings of invalidation, feelings of: 'I don't have a right to grieve here'. "Parents can feel silenced." She always tells families: "Please don't stop talking. We always want to talk about our baby and call them by their name if they have been named." Since the foundation opened, there have been referrals every day from health trusts and those self-referring. While she wishes the certificates had been brought in sooner, it's a "massively positive step forward" and, hopefully, a "stepping stone" to more support rolled out in all trust areas. 'The lack of recognition impacts your grief' Leah O'Hara "100% welcomes the certificates" but agrees that they are just one step in getting more support and legal recognition. The nurse, from Bangor in County Down, lives with her husband James and daughter, eight-year-old Mylah. After three early pregnancy losses, last year she and James lost baby Jacob at 22 weeks. "He was born, I gave birth to him and there was nothing to recognise that he existed - he was a baby - but he was born two weeks before the cut off," she told BBC News NI. The family was able to bring him home for five days. "The lack of recognition impacts your grief. I had so much anger that our baby was not recognised. You just want their name and story told. "The only certificate we have for Jacob is a cremation certificate." Leah hopes the certificate will be a step towards the issue being more openly spoken about. "Sometimes such losses are overlooked because people haven't met the baby or know the baby - but you know the baby. "It's a much longed for, loved baby already." Chatting to other mums in a group set up by Lurgan-based charity Little Forget Me Nots Trust has helped. "Speaking to people who resonate with me and just know exactly how you feel has been amazing," she said. Mylah has benefitted from their programme for siblings. "She was struggling with the fact that everyone in school had brothers and sisters and she didn't know how to mention her brother." Louise Taylor, from Portadown in County Armagh, founded the charity and said the certificate scheme is "so needed". She said goodbye to her son, Ruben, 10 years ago, and while there was support, it was not the support she felt she needed. "Everything was so dark and so gloomy," she said. "I really needed to help to figure out a way to find the light again. "I had another little girl at home and I struggled to parent her. I was back at work, completely oblivious that the grief was consuming me." Now she's "using this darkness" to help other families. Five years ago, when her father asked her to take over the family funeral directing business, she wanted to incorporate charity support. "I couldn't process saying goodbye to a child and helping a parent say goodbye to the child, then letting them off into the community," she said. "When somebody comes in through the door, after we've helped them say goodbye, in a few months through the darkness we pass on the baton to the charity so that the family is not left in the wilderness with nowhere to go." The programmes are "parent-led, trauma-informed and support these mummies and daddies in the darkness". One such group is for mums, using crafts, which keep hands busy while "blending it in with an element of understanding how our brain is processing this". "The most important thing is to let them know that it's OK if they feel like this and other people around this table feel like this." Her team hopes to roll out a similar group for fathers. Louise said 10 years ago she would have loved a certificate. "This is about validating the grief of these mummies and daddies - putting it in stone that this wee person existed," she said. "I don't think people realise what a woman goes through to say goodbye to her baby." What about leave from work? In England, there are plans for parents who experience a miscarriage before 24 weeks of pregnancy to be entitled to bereavement leave. The women said they would like to see similar coming into Northern Ireland. "I spoke recently to a woman who has had multiple miscarriages and she was asked to provide medical evidence of that," Selina said. Leah has been off work since the heartbreak of losing baby Jacob. "If Jacob had been born two weeks later I would have been entitled to maternity leave," she said. She would also like help for self-employed parents, like her husband. Should it be applied retrospectively? The women would also support the certificate scheme being applied retrospectively. Leah said she would get four certificates. "We didn't name our other babies – as they were before 12 weeks but a loss is a loss. "I think back dating it would help a lot of families." Who is the scheme open to? The scheme will be open to parents who have experienced the loss of a baby in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. The consultation runs until 12 September. If any these issues have affected you, details of help and advice are available on the BBC Action Line website. 'Having a certificate of loss proves my baby existed' Parents say public record means son will not be forgotten Baby loss certificate would 'prove my child existed'
BBC News
3 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Baby loss certificate: 'This will mean so much to the parents of Northern Ireland'
Women who lost pregnancies before 24 weeks have said a baby loss certificate will be a "powerful symbol of validation for the grief that parents are going through". Currently in Northern Ireland, the death of a baby after 24 weeks is officially recorded as a stillbirth but there is no formal recognition of loss before 24 weeks, as there is in finance minister has said it is his intention to introduce a similar scheme in Northern Ireland before the end of the year and a public consultation seeking views from bereaved parents has received more than 540 responses. He is keen to hear from as many people as possible, before it closes in September. This article contains themes and images of baby loss, which some people may find distressing. BBC News NI has spoken to three bereaved women about their experiences. Selina Casey, from Kilrea in County Londonderry, was prompted to set up the White Butterfly Foundation to help other parents when she found support was lacking after her own story starts in February 2021, when she was pregnant with her third arrived to an appointment at 18 weeks, "just assuming everything would be grand", but was told her baby had no heartbeat."I was told: 'You're going to have to take medication and come in and deliver your son'," she days later, she delivered her son after a 12-hour labour at the Causeway Hospital."I left the hospital the next day with him and a leaflet," she added. 'We want to talk about our baby and call them by their name' Her charity was set up "for bereaved parents, by bereaved parents"."I remember leaving the hospital and feeling like I had nothing to remember my child," she said. She said her child has a grave but she has "no certificate for him and nothing else to say that he was here". "These certificates are going to mean so much to the parents of Northern Ireland," she added. "Not that we ever want to have a hierarchy of grief, but there are different feelings that come at different stages of pregnancy loss. At the earlier stages, prior to 24 weeks, there can be feelings of invalidation, feelings of: 'I don't have a right to grieve here'."Parents can feel silenced."She always tells families: "Please don't stop talking. We always want to talk about our baby and call them by their name if they have been named." Since the foundation opened, there have been referrals every day from health trusts and those she wishes the certificates had been brought in sooner, it's a "massively positive step forward" and, hopefully, a "stepping stone" to more support rolled out in all trust areas. 'The lack of recognition impacts your grief' Leah O'Hara "100% welcomes the certificates" but agrees that they are just one step in getting more support and legal nurse, from Bangor in County Down, lives with her husband James and daughter, eight-year-old three early pregnancy losses, last year she and James lost baby Jacob at 22 weeks. "He was born, I gave birth to him and there was nothing to recognise that he existed - he was a baby - but he was born two weeks before the cut off," she told BBC News NI. The family was able to bring him home for five days. "The lack of recognition impacts your grief. I had so much anger that our baby was not recognised. You just want their name and story told."The only certificate we have for Jacob is a cremation certificate."Leah hopes the certificate will be a step towards the issue being more openly spoken about."Sometimes such losses are overlooked because people haven't met the baby or know the baby - but you know the baby."It's a much longed for, loved baby already."Chatting to other mums in a group set up by Lurgan-based charity Little Forget Me Nots Trust has helped."Speaking to people who resonate with me and just know exactly how you feel has been amazing," she has benefitted from their programme for siblings."She was struggling with the fact that everyone in school had brothers and sisters and she didn't know how to mention her brother." Louise Taylor, from Portadown in County Armagh, founded the charity and said the certificate scheme is "so needed". She said goodbye to her son, Ruben, 10 years ago, and while there was support, it was not the support she felt she needed."Everything was so dark and so gloomy," she said."I really needed to help to figure out a way to find the light again. "I had another little girl at home and I struggled to parent her. I was back at work, completely oblivious that the grief was consuming me."Now she's "using this darkness" to help other families. Five years ago, when her father asked her to take over the family funeral directing business, she wanted to incorporate charity support."I couldn't process saying goodbye to a child and helping a parent say goodbye to the child, then letting them off into the community," she said."When somebody comes in through the door, after we've helped them say goodbye, in a few months through the darkness we pass on the baton to the charity so that the family is not left in the wilderness with nowhere to go."The programmes are "parent-led, trauma-informed and support these mummies and daddies in the darkness".One such group is for mums, using crafts, which keep hands busy while "blending it in with an element of understanding how our brain is processing this"."The most important thing is to let them know that it's OK if they feel like this and other people around this table feel like this."Her team hopes to roll out a similar group for fathers. Louise said 10 years ago she would have loved a certificate."This is about validating the grief of these mummies and daddies - putting it in stone that this wee person existed," she said."I don't think people realise what a woman goes through to say goodbye to her baby." What about leave from work? In England, there are plans for parents who experience a miscarriage before 24 weeks of pregnancy to be entitled to bereavement women said they would like to see similar coming into Northern Ireland."I spoke recently to a woman who has had multiple miscarriages and she was asked to provide medical evidence of that," Selina has been off work since the heartbreak of losing baby Jacob."If Jacob had been born two weeks later I would have been entitled to maternity leave," she would also like help for self-employed parents, like her husband. Should it be applied retrospectively? The women would also support the certificate scheme being applied said she would get four certificates."We didn't name our other babies – as they were before 12 weeks but a loss is a loss."I think back dating it would help a lot of families." Who is the scheme open to? The scheme will be open to parents who have experienced the loss of a baby in the first 24 weeks of consultation runs until 12 September. If any these issues have affected you, details of help and advice are available on the BBC Action Line website.
