Carrie and Elizabeth Chilvers

A mother who said she was told to have an abortion three times has described her relief after she gave birth to a healthy girl.

Carrie Chilvers, 28, said a doctor told her there was only a one five five chance her baby would survive when she had her three-month scan at Colchester General Hospital, Essex.

They added that even if the baby did survive they would be severely disabled.

However the distraught mother refused to give up on her unborn child and sought a second opinion. She then had to endure an agonizing five-week wait before a second scan gave her baby the all-clear.

Carrie gave birth to Elizabeth, who was fit and healthy and weighed 5lbs 4oz, six months ago.

Ms. Chilvers said: 

If I had listened to them I would not have my beautiful baby girl. If I had a termination Elizabeth would not be here and my six-year-old son Conna would not have the little sister he wanted.Enlarge Carrie with her daughter Elizabeth and son Conna. Colchester Hospital said the mother's complaint was partly upheld

I was told three times to have an abortion. They said there was only a 20 per cent chance when I gave birth she would still be alive and she had a cystic hygroma, a growth on the neck.

If the baby had survived she was told it would have Down's syndrome, Turner's syndrome or a chromosome deficiency.

The mother-of-two from Colchester said: 'They did not tell me anything. They gave me no help or information.

'It was the worst five weeks of my life. It was like having a ticking time bomb inside me knowing her heart might just stop. I was crying all the time and was off work for weeks.'

Instead of following the doctor's advice she did her own research. She went to see another consultant who said she should see Professor Khaled Khaled. It was then Professor Khaleed who realised his colleague had made an error.

Ms Chilvers said: 'Professor Khaled was brilliant and I cannot fault him. He told me there was nothing wrong.'

She complained to Colchester General Hospital and on July 11 received a letter telling her the clinician who misread the scan no longer worked there.

Colchester General Hospital, Essex where a doctor misread Ms Chilvers' scan

A spokesman for Colchester General Hospital said: 'We are grateful for Miss Chilvers' kind comments about Professor Khaled but are sorry she was disappointed with some aspects of her care.

'We carried out a detailed investigation after she made a formal complaint. The complaint was partly, but not wholly, upheld.

'Where appropriate the trust has apologized to Miss Chilvers and, in addition, an individual clinician has apologized to her in writing.'

In the letter the hospital claimed it had told Carrie there was a 50/50 chance of an abnormality and disagree with what she said she was told about the chances of a miscarriage

Source: Daily Mail

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