Two mothers have shared their devastating experiences of NHS maternity care, where their concerns were repeatedly dismissed, leading to severe harm and the death of a baby. Their stories come as a major review by Baroness Amos concludes that NHS maternity services are 'no longer fit to consistently deliver high-quality, compassionate care' for all.
Amos Review Uncovers Widespread Failings
Baroness Amos's team interviewed 450 families and received 10,500 written responses, uncovering systemic failures in maternity triage. She is demanding an urgent revamp after babies died when mothers called in with concerns that were ignored.
'I Was Told I Shouldn't Have Gotten Pregnant'
Former teacher Elleasha Varia, 33, lost part of her bowel and was separated from her newborn son for nine days after her concerns were dismissed. Born with a bowel defect, she had been told she would need specialist care during pregnancy. When she became pregnant in 2021, her requests for a bowel specialist referral were brushed aside.
At six months pregnant, she developed intense pain. 'I told the consultant I felt like my insides were burning and ripping. They said I shouldn't have gotten pregnant if I couldn't handle pain,' she said. The pain was not helped by morphine. When she entered Leicester General Hospital at nearly 33 weeks, she began vomiting blood, but staff gave her heartburn remedy and told her she was 'stressed'.
It took two days to get an MRI confirming a bowel obstruction. Despite this, she never saw a bowel doctor and had an emergency C-section without specialist supervision. The surgery perforated her bowel, leaving her only a minute with her baby before being rushed to surgery. Her son Keyun, now four, was born prematurely and moved to a hospital two hours away due to bed shortages, despite her pleas.
'I was treated like I was a vessel and once my baby was born I didn't matter anymore,' she said. Julie Hogg, Chief Nurse at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, apologised: 'We're very sorry for the distress and trauma Elleasha and her family experienced. Learning from her experience has informed changes in how care is planned for women with complex needs.'
'I Knew Something Wasn't Right'
Little Bonnie Thompson died last November after a series of 'missed opportunities, poor communication and failures to listen' to her parents' concerns. Parents Chelsea Gowar, 26, and Oliver Thompson, 28, had experienced multiple miscarriages before Bonnie.
When Chelsea developed severe headaches, visual disturbances and raised blood pressure at six months, staff at Worthing Hospital said they were anxiety symptoms—red flags for pre-eclampsia. Over two weeks, she repeatedly reported reduced fetal movements. A scan showed reduced blood flow to the baby, but her case was not escalated.
'Our concerns as parents were repeatedly minimised. I knew something wasn't right, but I was made to feel like I was overreacting,' she said. At an emergency caesarean, staff were 'patronising, dismissive and confrontational' and did not tell them when Bonnie developed sepsis or had blood transfusions.
Bonnie was transferred to Worthing Hospital after six weeks and died four days later after a blood transfusion. The exact cause is still under investigation. A spokesperson for University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust said: 'The loss of baby Bonnie is an unimaginable tragedy. We will fully support the coroner and remain in close contact with the family.'
