The mother of a baby with Down’s syndrome claims she was being pressured into terminating her pregnancy after being told her daughter was not going to survive.
Hetty Blakey, from Lincolnshire, says she was left feeling hopeless after staff at Lincoln County hospital gave her an abortion hand-out before even checking her daughter’s disorder.
However, after pursuing a second opinion in secret, Hetty was told that her daughter had Down’s syndrome but doctors sensed no need to dismiss the pregnancy on medical grounds.
Hetty’s care was transferred to Princess of Wales Hospital after she had changed her address and moved to a new location. But then she was told by the hospital staff that they would be not capable enough to safely deliver her baby since this was a case of a high risk pregnancy.
Hetty looked online and found a hospital in London which specialises in unborn babies with Down’s syndrome. She was told at 30 weeks that the baby could come at any time. She was told that she needed to move to London and needed to move there quickly. The couple were told they had to be within walking distance of the hospital.
They eventually found an apartment across the road from St Thomas’ Hospital, where Hetty had to lay in bed for five weeks as a result of her polyhydramnios until Poppy was born. They were forced to pay close to £15,000 for their accommodation in order to stay close by.
After all these obstacles, Hetty safely delivered her baby, named Poppy.
But Hetty feels disappointed by her after care at Grimsby’s Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital. She claimed that her daughter was given the incorrect inoculation and was unable to see a cardiologist regardless of being at danger of immediate heart failure. Hospital has confirmed it is investigating a formal complaint.
Hetty, who earlier lived in Lincoln before moving her address, had her preliminary 12 week scan at Lincoln County Hospital. After the scan, they were handed over a leaflet on abortion and told the baby had something very severe and her baby is not going to live on. Hospital suggested her to go for an abortion before any detailed diagnosis was made. She said that after hearing the news, she felt like her baby was gone.
The couple then pursued private healthcare at the Harley Street Hospital in London and Hetty go through chorionic villus sampling to find out foetal deformities. It was there that she was told her yet to born baby had Down’s syndrome.
The couple said that the baby looked impeccably hale and hearty and they didn’t feel there was a purpose to medically terminate the baby at all.
Hetty said that she would have made the decision to dismiss the pregnancy had she followed the information given at Lincoln Hospital and not try to find a second opinion.
Hetty was all alone when she heard the news from the hospital staff and she felt really hurt and disregarded. That is where a suicidal though came across in her mind.
The hospital did not bother to contact her thereafter and she said that she would have lost her baby as a result of their wrong advice.
Poppy was born via emergency C-section and Hetty said that had she not been at a hospital with specialist care available, she does not believe Poppy daughter would’ve survived.
Returning home to Grimsby after Poppy undertook two operations, the family had been told that St Thomas’ Hospital in London would now be sharing the responsibility of Poppy’s care with the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital.
Hetty says the attention Poppy has received at Grimsby Hospital has left her feeling abandoned and she raises severe questions. Everything she had gone through was possibly undone by Grimsby hospital. She feels harassed and intimidated by Grimsby hospital.
The Deputy Chief Nurse at Grimsby’s Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital said that they are totally awake of these concerns and at present examining as an official grievance. They will answer back directly to the family once the investigation has resolved.
On the other hand, a representative for the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust said that regrettably they are unable to give statement on individual cases. Though, they have confirmed that they have been communicated by the patient’s family and have been coordinating with them directly.
