A GRIEF-stricken mum whose first baby was stillborn claims experts let her down.

Georgia Boyton, 20, and James Regan, 25, lost unborn daughter Dollie-Raie to an avoidable intra-uterine death on March 4.

An ante-natal scan the previous day revealed their daughter’s weight had plummeted.

The worried parents said they asked doctors to investigate further but were forced to wait until a scheduled growth scan at a clinic in Ipswich.

Sadly, by then Dollie-Raie had died overnight.

A tearful sonographer broke the news to the couple.

Georgia, of Clacton, said: “We both screamed, cried and instantly felt empty. We then got rushed in an ambulance to Ipswich Hospital where I gave birth.

“It’s uncommon for a baby to drop so much weight at full term but our midwife said not to panic.

“After she left our home, James called Clacton District Hospital to see if they could do an emergency growth scan but they refused to see us unless we were referred back to their care.

“Dollie-Raie was kicking away that night but the following day I felt really sick and nervous."

Georgia said she suspected something was wrong from 33 weeks into her pregnancy.

She reported changes in the baby’s movements, headaches and shooting pains.

Tests revealed protein in her urine which can be a sign of developing the life-threatening condition pre-eclampsia – a condition Georgia was at moderate risk of.

As Georgia had opted for a home birth, she left the care of Colchester Hospital University Foundation Trust to join One to One Midwives.

Halstead Gazette:

'Perfect pregnancy' - photo: Itchy Eye Photography

Georgia said: “The last ten weeks of my pregnancy dragged and we just wanted to meet our baby.

"At 37 weeks I called my midwife out as I didn’t feel good. She measured my belly and Dollie-Raie’s heartbeat and said everything was fine.

“The bigger I got during pregnancy, I couldn’t see my feet, but on this morning I could. I just knew something wasn’t right.”

At 35 weeks, Dollie-Raie’s heart rate measured 160bpm – the top end of normal and noted as a mild fetal tachycardia.

A draft report into the baby’s death by One to One Midwives says that should have been acted on.

The report also says the midwife did not follow company policy regarding changes in Dollie-Raie’s movements.

Poor communication between Colchester General Hospital and One to One Midwives was also a contributing factor, the report says.

Georgia was induced five hours after she discovered Dollie-Raie had died. She went through 32 hours of labour before giving birth to her stillborn daughter.

Halstead Gazette:

Final goodbyes - Georgia and James at their daughter's funeral

Georgia said: “I couldn’t look at her but after about an hour I changed my mind. My heart broke into 1,000 pieces when I did. She was the most precious little girl ever.

“We were just hoping she would start to cry. Even now, although I know she’s died, I wake up some mornings wondering if I was actually pregnant. It’s like a big dream.

“The saddest thing was the doctors at Ipswich Hospital said if our midwife had sent us straight to the hospital, our baby would still be here now.”

Georgia’s midwife was suspended as a matter of routine during the investigation and has now returned to work.

Joanne Parkington, chief executive of One to One Midwives, expressed her “sincere condolences” to the couple.

She added: "The investigation process identified there were gaps in the services being provided for which we are truly sorry.

“As a result, a detailed action plan has been developed to address those gaps and to ensure we share what has been learned across the organisation and with our partners to provide the best possible services for our community.

“A number of the actions identified have already been completed and there will be continuous monitoring by designated individuals and groups to ensure the action plan is fully implemented and lessons are learned."

Georgia wants to help prevent others going through the same heartache.

She said: “I’d like people to read my story and take notice if they don’t feel right during pregnancy and trust their gut instinct.

“We trusted the professionals and their promises but because of it we lost our baby.

“This is every parent’s worst nightmare.

"For anyone who has experienced it, if you’d like to talk to someone or don’t know who to talk to, I’m open for a chat.”

To contact Georgia, email georgiaboyton123@hotmail.co.uk.