'Abattoir' mum seeks NHS explanation

11:22am Tuesday 21st October 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

A new mum who almost died in labour and then had her womb removed says nobody will tell her why the birth of her son nearly killed her.

Today, Vicky Delieto, 36, brings up bouncing baby George with his four siblings in Bertchman Road, Bush Hill Park.

This happy scene is far removed from the circumstances of his birth at Chase Farm Hospital on June 7.

Then, Vicky spent 24 hours in labour as a crowd of clinicians and maternity staff struggled to deliver a 11lb 8oz baby who was two weeks overdue and had out-grown his mother's womb.

"It was horrendous" Vicky recalls. "The pain was unbelievable. I was passing out. I lost the equivalent of all my blood during it."

Recounting that night, Vicky says she toiled for hours to deliver her baby naturally until the bleeding was so heavy that doctors were forced to perform an emergency caesarean.

After the procedure, she held George for a few seconds before the hemorrhaging got so bad doctors had to split her new stitches and take out her womb.

She remembers the scene when she regained conciousness: "It was like an abbatoir. There was blood all over the delivery room."

She believes that if doctors had granted her a caesarean section days before when she requested it, the events that led to her undergoing the life-saving hysterectomy may have been avoided.

Now on anti-depressents and with a fear of hospitals, Vicky says: "I don't want compensation, I want an explanation."

A Chase Farm hospital spokeswoman said: "A hysterectomy is performed in these cases as a life saving procedure. It is only performed when all practical procedures to stop the bleeding have failed.

The patient would have received a full explanation in order for the clinical staff to gain informed consent. She was also seen by her Consultant following the procedure and was given the opportunity for questions."

Vicky has questions, but she cannot ask them on the hospital site while she is haunted by the events of this summer. She says two letters she sent have receive no meaningful reply.

"I have touched death and it was horrible."