Mum had stillborn baby after being sent home

Jodi Newton

Tragedy as Mum loses baby after being sent home twice

A young mum has described the horror of losing her baby after being sent home twice by medical staff despite being nearly two weeks overdue.

Stela Ernu, 31, endured over 54 hours of labour before giving birth to her son, Lucas, who had sadly passed away.

Hospital investigation

Bosses at Basildon University Hospital have launched a patient safety investigation into Lucas’s death, along with the death of another mother on the same day

Mother’s traumatic experience

Stela, who also has a 12-year-old daughter, spoke of her traumatic experience:

“As a woman giving birth, you cannot wait to get that baby in your arms. Having to go through labour knowing that my baby was dead was the worst thing that you can possibly imagine. I was pushing, still hopeful that somehow my baby was alive. We were so excited to hold our little boy. Then to deliver his still body was hell.”

Ongoing Concerns at Basildon Hospital

The maternity unit at Basildon University Hospital has recently faced significant criticism. In July, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection highlighted unsafe practices and required improvements.

Stela’s Experience

Stela, from Aveley, Essex, was scheduled to be induced on March 12, nearly two weeks overdue. She began contractions the evening before and visited Basildon Hospital early on the 12th. Despite her contractions and concerns, staff sent her home, citing more urgent cases and suggesting a revised due date meant she was not yet a priority.

She recounted:

“I trusted the doctors 100 per cent, so I accepted what they said. Even so, I felt something wasn’t right.”

The next day, with contractions intensifying, Stela returned. Again, despite expressing fears for her overdue baby, she was dismissed and sent home with painkillers, assured everything was fine.

Later that evening, during a third hospital visit, staff confirmed that Lucas’s heart had stopped.

Stela explained:

“I started screaming and crying, saying it wasn’t possible. I asked if there was any way they could perform a C-section to check if he was still alive. The doctor just apologised and left the room.”

Grief and Anger

Following the traumatic birth, Stela held Lucas’s lifeless body overnight:

“They handed his little body to me, and I was glad to hold my little Lucas. They didn’t even offer to give him a bath. A woman came to make memories and kept commenting on how beautiful he was. It felt like a dagger through my heart. There were people everywhere trying to help after I’d lost my baby, but where were they when he was still alive?”

She urges medical staff to treat every pregnancy with equal urgency:

“Don’t assume everything will be okay just because somebody appears low risk.”

Legal Action

Stephanie Prior at Osbornes Law, represented Stela, emphasised concerns about the hospital’s practices:

“This tragic case highlights serious concerns. It’s not the first instance at this unit. We’re worried about a pattern developing, particularly involving patients whose first language is not English. Ms Ernu deserves answers, and we strongly urge the investigation findings be published promptly.”

How we can help

At Osbornes we have acted for many families, in birth injury and stillbirth claims.  It can often be very stressful for the parents of a stillborn baby to cope with the aftermath of the injury and to deal with the litigation at the same time as dealing with day to day issues such as caring for other children they have and taking the decision to become pregnant again.

Cases involving the death of a baby can be devastating and we recognise the need to provide support and empathy as well as straightforward and sensible legal advice at such a time. We are very experienced in dealing with these types of claims.

• Call 020 7485 8811, or
• Fill in the contact form below to speak to a specialist.