Leeds Maternity Review

If your baby was stillborn or died soon after birth, you may still be living with questions no one has answered. Were your concerns about reduced movements taken seriously? Was your baby’s growth properly monitored? When signs of distress appeared in labour, did anyone act quickly enough?

These are the questions families most often bring to us. We’ll look at your care independently and tell you honestly what we find.

Your baby may have been diagnosed with HIE, a brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen around birth, and perhaps later with cerebral palsy. You might have been told it was unavoidable. That isn’t always true.

HIE can follow a misread heart-rate trace, a delay in delivering a baby in distress, or a delay in resuscitating a baby who isn’t breathing at birth. If your child will need specialist care for life, it’s right to ask whether this could have been prevented.

Newborns with low blood sugar need prompt treatment to prevent seizures and brain injury. The investigation will look at babies who needed neonatal care for significant hypoglycaemia, wherever they were born.

Babies who are premature, small, or whose mothers have diabetes are at higher risk. Common failings include blood sugar not being checked, a lack of feeding support from community midwives at home, and parents’ concerns being dismissed. We have experience of these claims, which can help fund lifelong support.

Jaundice is common in newborns, and you may have been told it would pass. But severe jaundice that isn’t treated in time can cause kernicterus, a form of brain damage that can lead to cerebral palsy, hearing loss, and learning disabilities.

The condition is almost always preventable. Common mistakes include jaundice not being properly checked, treatment delays, and parents being reassured while their baby becomes more unwell at home. We have experience with these claims, which can help fund your child’s lifelong care.

Losing a loved one during pregnancy, or soon after birth, is one of the most heartbreaking experiences imaginable. Families often tell us afterwards that the warning signs were there: rising blood pressure, infection, heavy bleeding, or symptoms dismissed as normal recovery.

You shouldn’t have to find out what happened on your own. We can investigate whether care fell short, and help secure support for children and the family left behind.

The investigation will look at the care of mothers who died by suicide during pregnancy or in the year after birth, something families campaigned for.

We support families where perinatal mental health care may have fallen short. That includes risks that weren’t assessed, referrals to specialist services that weren’t made, or concerns raised by the mother or her family that weren’t acted on. We handle these cases with particular care, at a pace that suits you.

Ockenden’s team will look at the care of mothers who became seriously ill with conditions such as sepsis or eclampsia, or who needed an emergency hysterectomy during or after birth. This includes mothers who unexpectedly needed intensive care, for example after heavy bleeding or a blood clot.

These conditions usually give warning signs. Common failings include high blood pressure not being managed, infection not being recognised, and worsening observations not being escalated. A claim can help fund your recovery.

How you were treated after your loss matters too. Families can share these experiences with the investigation, and they will form part of its final report.

Parents often tell us they weren’t told what had happened, weren’t involved when the hospital looked into it, or that their baby wasn’t treated with the dignity they deserved. Poor communication can make a devastating period of time even harder to cope with. We will listen to you, and advise whether you may have a claim.