Being stuck in birth canal caused injury

**Dappy** · 23-04-11

http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/...o_much_agony_/

HOSPITAL chiefs have rejected claims that mistakes were made during the labour of a first-time mother who blames staff for her daughter being left needing continuing medical treatment.

They say the correct care and procedures were followed when Danielle Tovey gave birth to daughter Alexia-Jo Wilson at Worces-tershire Royal Hospital.

Miss Tovey criticised hospital staff. She claimed her daughter was left stuck in the birth canal for four days undetected, causing the baby’s hips to come out of their sockets. It has also left doubts over whether Miss Tovey can have more children.

Little Alexia-Jo, now nine weeks old, has to wear a harness from shoulder to feet to support her hips in the hope they will eventually go back into place, said Miss Tovey, of Kidderminster, The 22-year-old claimed the problems started on February 7 – two days after Alexia-Jo was due – when her waters started to break.

She said midwives told her she was not in labour but for the next four days she suffered pain before labour was induced on February 11. Because of complications, she had a Caesarean section.

“At the hospital, they kept saying I was normal,” said Miss Tovey. “No one gave me a scan. In the end they had to take me for a C-section and they realised Alexia-Jo had been stuck in the birth canal and that’s why I was in pain.

“During the C-section, they tore my womb and said they don’t know if I can have any more children.”

She said she also had to have two blood transfusions.

“I’m fuming. I’ve always wanted to be a mum and the experience we went through is heartbreaking,” she said.

Helen Blanchard, director of nursing and midwifery at Worcestershire Acute Hos-pitals NHS Trust, said: “As well as speaking to her about her concerns on the telephone, senior midwives have also been to her home to help her understand her labour and explain why the care and certain procedures were correct in the circumstances.”

She said they have also offered further support to Miss Tovey.

No one wants a bad experience in labour and it's sad that women do have bad experiences, just wanted to point that out.

What I am interested in is can injuries such as hip dislocation be caused from being stuck in the birth canal?

What other injuries can arise?

Have you experienced anything like this in practice?

Thoughts...

**MrsBanks** · 23-04-11

I can't understand why a woman would be fully dilated for 4 days without someone noticing. And how could they induce her if the baby was already in the birth canal? I wonder if she is a bit confused, and she was in the latent stage of labour for 4 days with her baby in a bad position which caused issues with her subsequent induction?

However to the OQ, I have heard of babies with shoulder and head injuries from a long 2nd stage, through my chiropracter who treats a lot of them. Never heard of hip dislocation though, I wouldn't have thought that was very likely unless the baby was breech but please remember I haven't had any midwifery classes yet so could be be completely wrong.

**Dappy** · 23-04-11

I'm just trying to imagine what sort of position this baby must of been in to have both hips come out of the socket, even with a newborn and I know they are quite flexible. Surely that still needs some degree of force.

If she is correct in that the baby was stuck in the birth canal, I still don't get how or why that dislocated the hips. I might be just cofusing myself but I don't see how that can cause that sort of injury.

I look forward to one of the midwives participating here and giving their views.

**crossfire** · 23-04-11

There is such a thing as congenital hip dysplasia where the hip sockets are too shallow and they constantly dislocate. I think this is what is being described, and since there is either no access to notes or no understanding of what has been written it is not reported correctly. This is nothing to do with the position the baby was in inutero but is a defect of formation during pregnancy. I think the woman is stiill deeply traumatised and doesn't understand what has occurred and has put several odd things together and made 76. Shame about her baby but nothing that occurs in labour could cause that.

Also re the iol, there are basic checks made on a woman by midwife and dr before induction and one of those things is a vaginal examination, wither for the prostin or to break the waters, Had the baby been in the vagina at that point no induction would have occurred. The fact that the hospital staff have gone out to her to explain what occurred and not made any hint of apology (which they would have done had any fault been pointed out) I think that some of it is wanting to lay blame for her traumatic experience and to blame someone for her baby's condition. Without the notes we can only guess as to what occurred as I don't think the woman herself knows fully or understands what happened or why but has gone to the paper. However it hasn't produced any answers. Just another article in bashing maternity services and midwives that seems so rife at the moment.

**MrsBanks** · 23-04-11

Thanks Crossfire, that is basically what I thought.

**Dannii PuttOck HancOcks** · 07-07-11

i wernt confushed at all...... if she would have came on the tues when i was having these pains then she would of but her head got stuck which put pressure on then the 2 drips i had pushed her even more, her heart rate dropped 3 times they didnt know she was stuck intill they opened me up, it took 9 mins to get her out and one doc had to go via vagina whilst other via stomach then i was in there for a futher 2 half hours as they tore my womb and had 2 repair it,

**Dannii PuttOck HancOcks** · 07-07-11

and i had a scan 2 weeks before she was born and everything was fine it has nothing to do with her growing and no im not confushed, worcester royal are rubbish, and they did apolgise thank you very much ive had several meetings and what me and my daughter went thru is rediculas but then again you wouldnt know as you sound like a bloke!!!!...dont **** me off when it was the hospitals fault

**Flopsy** · 07-07-11

and i had a scan 2 weeks before she was born and everything was fine it has nothing to do with her growing and no im not confushed, worcester royal are rubbish, and they did apolgise thank you very much ive had several meetings and what me and my daughter went thru is rediculas but then again you wouldnt know as you sound like a bloke!!!!...dont **** me off when it was the hospitals fault

Hello there DPH....
I am so sorry if the article was about you and we were discussing it. The awful thing is that without seeing the notes we can never be totally sure - sadly even the notes can not be helpful. But what you can do - is under the Data protection act - get a copy of your notes and ask someone outside of the NHS hospital to go through them (see Independent Midwives UK website which will find a local midwife who may be able to help) and explain each little bit. We can only guess at the actual problem, not diagnose but we would never think of taking any of your pain and anger away from you or try and say that what you feel is not true.
I hope you can feel some reassurance that there are things that you can do, but birth trauma is not something that goes away, it gets easier to live with. Maybe Sheila Kitzingers birth trauma website and contact numbers can help. Or AIMs.
Flopsy
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