‘I can’t do anything but cry at her grave’ – parents agony after losing baby due to NHS failings

Their baby’s bedroom remains untouched since the stillbirth and they find it unbearable to stay in their home due to the painful memories

A Birmingham couple have spoken of their unimaginable heartbreak after their baby girl was stillborn due to admitted failings in NHS care.

Hazha and Bahroz Ghafoor, who had longed for a big family, endured multiple gruelling rounds of IVF before their first child was born in 2022.

When they conceived naturally, they were overjoyed but this turned to devastation when baby Maily was stillborn at 6.4lbs at Birmingham Women’s Hospital on 27 September 2023.

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Mum Hazha, aged 39, who is currently more than 20 weeks’ pregnant, said: “I can’t do anything but cry at her grave.

“Being pregnant again, I am scared for my life as well as my unborn baby’s life. They didn’t listen to me and because of that, our baby died.”

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Originally from Iraq, Hazha’s first language is not English, meaning she required translation support throughout her pregnancy.

Despite this, when she was admitted to the hospital, her husband Bahroz was told to go home for the night – which would have left her alone and struggling to communicate her fears and symptoms to medical staff.

Hazha fought for Bahroz to stay, fearing she would die if he left.

Bahroz said: “Nobody was there to fight for her when she needed help the most.

“She was in pain, she was scared and I had to fight to be able to stay there to make sure she was heard.”

Having previously suffered two ectopic pregnancies and with a history of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and other complications, Hazha was a high-risk pregnancy.

Despite these risk factors and multiple visits to the hospital with concerns about her baby’s movements and increasing pain, Hazha’s symptoms were not properly escalated.

Maily died due to placental abruption – a condition that should have been identified and acted upon much earlier.

Now, the couple are determined to ensure no other family suffers the same heartbreak.

Bahroz said: “Of course, we just want our baby back but we can’t so the least we can do is raise awareness to make sure this never happens to another family again.”

An independent investigation found serious failings, including staff who had not completed mandatory foetal monitoring training and a failure to recognise the urgency of Hazha’s condition.

Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, has admitted that had Hazha received appropriate care, Maily would have survived.

The family have taken legal action and instructed law firm Lime Solicitors to investigate the failings that led to baby Maily’s death and the extent of damage the negligence had on Hazha.

Medical negligence associate solicitor Wioleta Dworak, who is leading the case with the assistance of paralegal Tara Pooni, said: “This was a completely avoidable tragedy.

“Bahroz and Hazha raised concerns time and time again, yet they were dismissed.

“The trust has already admitted that correct care would have saved Maily’s life, and that is simply unacceptable. No family should have to go through this heartbreak.

“Sadly, we are seeing more and more cases like this across the UK. Maternity services are stretched, underfunded, and in some cases, dangerously inadequate.

“Too often, we see the same patterns of failings – missed warning signs, poor communication and a lack of properly-trained staff.”

Daljit Athwal, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We further extend our deepest sympathies to the family on the loss of their daughter and our teams continue to support them.

“Our training compliance has consistently met national standards over the last six years.

“Following this MNSI investigation, we have new arrangements for staff returning from absence whereby refresher training is completed before they start back at work in areas where this is required and we have also changed the way our staff process urgent tests out of hours.

“We take our role in continuously improving maternity safety and health inequalities very seriously; whilst previously we offered a choice, we now strongly advise all families whose first language isn’t English, to accept support from our extensive interpreting service, which includes face to face and 24/7 video link.”