Mother told to book appointment to give birth to her dead baby

Anthony and Danielle now have tattoos of Maisie's hand and footprint Warning: This article contains themes and images some readers may find upsetting. A pregnant woman whose baby had died was sent home from hospital still carrying the child and told to make an appointment later in the week to give birth. Danielle Brown, from North Tyneside, had already been wrongly discharged despite having the life-threatening condition pre-eclampsia and had returned because she was still unwell. After insisting on returning to the maternity unit, she was finally seen and doctors discovered her baby had died. Danielle would later describe the silence, the screen turned away from her, and turning to her partner to say: "I think she's gone." The Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust said it fully accepted "aspects of the care we provided fell short" and offered a "heartfelt apology". Danielle, 31, and her 34-year-old partner Anthony Miller had been delighted to learn they were having a baby girl. "I was just over the moon, I couldn't be happier," Anthony said. They decided to call their daughter Maisie. But, seven months into her pregnancy in February 2023, Danielle woke up feeling unwell. Her face was swollen, as were her hands and feet - all potential signs of pre-eclampsia, external, which can be life threatening to both mother and baby. Anthony and Danielle were overjoyed to learn they were having a girl The couple went to the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington, Northumberland, but medics found problems with Maisie's heart rate and told Danielle her baby needed to be delivered immediately via emergency caesarean section, external. "Maisie's heart rate had dropped and a midwife ran in and said 'don't panic, but I need to pull the emergency cord - you're having your baby'," Danielle said. The midwife told her space was being found for her at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle and doctors there "were going to do the section", she said. She was transferred , once in Newcastle, Danielle did not have the operation and was instead put on a ward. "A consultant came to see me and he said I am staying in hospital until Maisie was born," she said. But, the following day, another doctor reviewed her and sent her home. Maise had a normal scan at 16 weeks Within 24-hours, again feeling unwell, Danielle called the maternity unit and said she was told she probably had a stomach bug.