Young mum, 26, infertile after ‘medical blunder led to flesh-eating bug invading her womb’

A YOUNG mum is unable to have more kids after losing her womb to a 'flesh-eating' bug, that invaded her insides following a C-section.

Natasha Richardson has received £200,000 in damages after medics were forced to remove her womb after she developed necrotising fasiitis.

The infection was likely able to ravage her body, after medics failed to prescribe her antibiotics in the wake of her C-section - a step experts say could have prevented the nasty infection.

The 26-year-old was giving birth to her first child, when medics became concerned over problems with her baby's heartbeat - and took her to theatre for a C-section.

But, during the op to deliver baby Noah, surgeons accidentally cut Natasha.

Unaware of the slip, the new mum was stitched up - but was suffering internal bleeding.

Medics soon spotted what had happened, noticing Natasha was in severe pain. They transferred her to intensive care and operated a second time.

But, in the wake of the surgery, Natasha developed a severe flesh-eating bug.

The 26-year-old, a doctor's receptionist, was sent home five days after her second op.

Feeling extremely weak, tired and in pain - the new mum blamed her symptoms of having just given birth to her son.

Ten days after welcoming baby Noah, Natasha was rushed back to Leeds General Infirmary, where they diagnosed her with the rare flesh-eating bacterial infection, necrotising fasciitis.

I am pleased that the hospital have acknowledged what they did wrong but to think that all I needed was antibiotics is heartbreaking

Natasha Richardson

The devastating bug had eaten away at Natasha's womb and surrounding stomach muscles and tissue.

She was transferred to St James's University Hospital, where they performed a hysterectomy.

In the months that followed, Natasha had a further six operations to remove all of the bacteria, leaving her with a massive open wound in her stomach and very little stomach muscles.

She had to remain in hospital attached to a vacuum machine to help her open wound heal.

Natasha, who has been continually supported by her partner and Noah's dad, car salesman, Jamie Walker, also 26, said she's still scarred by her ordeal, almost four years later.

She said: "When I was in hospital Noah wasn't allowed to see me at all for the first two weeks for fear I could catch an infection.

"I couldn't breastfeed and I missed my baby.

"In the end they moved me to a side room on my own so my family could bring him in to see me because I started to feel depressed, even then I couldn't hold him properly.

"I was very poorly.

"I am pleased that the hospital have acknowledged what they did wrong but to think that all I needed was antibiotics is heartbreaking.

"I can't believe what I have been through for them missing something so simple."

The mum-of-one said she is heartbroken to think her son will never have a sibling.

"It was always our intention to have three children," she said. "And now that will not happen.

"We have thought that we could have surrogacy because they didn't remove my ovaries and so they can use my eggs, but that is still a big thing for me to get my head round and already Noah is almost four.

"It is sad to think about what we could have had."

Still, Natasha's ordeal is not over.

She has suffered a hernia and will have to go through more operations to repair the hernia and rebuild her stomach.

An investigation into Natasha's care revealed the new mum should have been prescribed antibiotics within an hour of her C-section.

This was an extremely tragic case and we have looked carefully at what occurred and made changes to our caesarean clinical guidelines as a result

Professor Suzanne Hinchcliffe, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Rebecca Pearey, an expert medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, who represents Natasha, said: "The failures to prescribe antibiotics at the crucial time have clearly had a massive and devastating impact on Natasha as she has had to rethink the plans she had for her family and her working life.

"The Trust has admitted liability for the problems Natasha has faced, which has come as a relief to her, but she is also keen to ensure the Trust learns from this incident and puts steps in place so that this doesn't happen to anybody else."

Professor Suzanne Hinchliffe, chief nurse and deputy chief executive at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, apologised adding that lessons have been learned.

She said: “On behalf of the Trust I would like to express our sincere apologies to Ms Richardson and her family.

“This was an extremely tragic case and we have looked carefully at what occurred and made changes to our caesarean clinical guidelines as a result.”