- author, Sarah Easdale
- role, BBC News
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More than half a million pounds in compensation has been paid to a woman who was left with a permanent stoma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after giving birth.
Amy Stead, 37, suffered a severe laceration during childbirth at Wrexham Maelor Hospital in 2019 which was not repaired and her condition worsened after she was discharged.
She said women were “bearing the brunt” of the pressure on the NHS.
Betsy Cadwaladr health board’s chief executive said she was “genuinely sorry” that Mr Stead had been “badly let down”.
Ms Stead’s laceration was missed by obstetricians “in their rush to finish” and it was later discovered she had a hole between her vagina and rectum.
She underwent surgery but was left with a permanent stoma and PTSD.
Ms Stead, who also works at the hospital, said the incident had marred her own experience of becoming a first-time mother.
She said: “In between all of this, I was trying to breastfeed my newborn baby. It was all so hard.”
“I wasn’t in a very good situation but I hid it from my family and friends.
“Thankfully, I had a good relationship with my son, but I never told anyone about what was going on in my head.”
She said her obstetrician should have carried out a proper investigation into her laceration and that pressures on the NHS were leading to injuries and deaths in maternity services.
She added that there is a theme of women not being heard or believed.
“Some people have said it’s all in my head. They’ve said I knew my body and I didn’t know my body,” she said.
Ms Stead was recently awarded £575,000 in compensation for the injuries she suffered.
In a statement apologising to Ms Stead, Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board chief executive Carol Sirabia said training for medical staff and midwives had been improved.
She said: “We recognise that no amount of money can make up for the devastating impact that serious medical failures have on patients and their families.”
“Since this incident we have implemented quality improvement work across Wales to ensure women with obstetric anal sphincter injuries always receive safe and effective care.”
The Welsh Government said it was sorry to hear about Ms Stead’s “harrowing” experience.
She added: “The safety of maternity care is our number one priority and we expect all health boards to implement evidence-based practice and provide comprehensive care to women and families.”
The company also said it would launch a programme to improve the safety of maternal and newborn care in Wales in 2022 and was developing a quality statement to reflect its “determination” to improve these services.
Image source, Family photo
Despite what she has been through, Stead said she is “determined” not to let what she has experienced affect her and her husband’s family plans.
In 2021, the couple welcomed their second child, a son.
Stead underwent an elective Caesarean section due to her stoma and previous injuries.
However, although she wanted more children, she said that through therapy she had come to terms with it and decided not to go through the experience of giving birth again.
She also documented her experience on Instagram, which she says has inspired other women to come forward with similar stories.
“I’m not the only one who’s had this happen to me. I think that’s also shocking.”
Image source, Family photo
She believes maternity services in Wrexham Maelor have improved in the five years since she first gave birth, but says wider changes are needed.
“They (maternity services) need to stop ignoring women, they need to listen to women and come up with better aftercare packages.”
“What happened to me should never have happened.”
