Woman receives six-figure settlement following a haemorrhage and a pulmonary embolism during childbirth

In 2016, A woman, who we have called Bethany, booked into Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust with her pregnancy, which she had been advised was healthy.

Before this pregnancy, Bethany had experienced two haemorrhages, serious bleeds, due to a poorly contracting uterus. As a result, Bethany wanted to plan her delivery thoroughly and requested an elective caesarean section to avoid the trauma of an obstetric emergency (when a life-threatening medical problem occurs during pregnancy or labour).

Bethany requested a caesarean section when she saw midwives and doctors throughout her pregnancy, however Bethany was not offered a caesarean at any stage. She was told that this was due to high BMI.  Bethany continued to express her preference for a caesarean but was booked in for an induction of labour which was not her preference.

Shortly after the induction started, Bethany suffered a life threatening haemorrhage and had to undergo an emergency caesarean section under general anaesthetic.

Afterwards, Bethany required blood transfusions and was admitted to the intensive care unit. She remained in hospital for several weeks after giving birth. When she was discharged, Bethany suffered a pulmonary embolism (when a blood vessel in the lungs is blocked by a blood clot). Bethany’s experiences affected her mental well-being and later she experienced symptoms such as insomnia, flashbacks, emotional breakdowns, depression, and PTSD.

Bethany instructed the medical negligence team at law firm Leigh Day who negotiated a settlement of £325,000 and an apology from Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust.

Leigh Day medical negligence partner Nandi Jordan said:

“Sadly, we often we see women whose wishes for delivering their baby are discounted, overlooked and ignored by maternity services. My client’s request for a caesarean section was not acted upon by those caring for her with dangerous consequences to my client and her child. While my client’s physical injures eventually healed, the psychological impact of her injuries and of how she was treated remained.

"I am pleased that we were able to secure this settlement for my client. I hope that this settlement allows her rebuild her life following such an traumatic experience.”