A pregnant mother whose waters broke three months early endured a stillbirth after bungling midwives dismissed fluid in her pants as sweat.
Kate Pateman, 30, from St Neots, Cambridge, went to hospital after discovering her underwear was soaked with an unknown fluid in June 2016.
But instead of checking if her waters had broke, Ms Pateman was told she was simply sweating heavily in the summer heat.
The mother-of-two went home reassured that she'd give birth to a healthy full-term baby girl, given that it was three months before her due date.
A check-up at 32 weeks revealed her baby wasn't growing properly, but the midwife never reported it and it was never investigated.
When Ms Pateman went into labour at 39 weeks, medics discovered she didn't have any amniotic fluid, which protects and helps babies develop in the womb.
After a seven-hour labour, her daughter Poppy was stillborn - a tragedy experts say could have been avoided if she'd been induced two weeks earlier.
Amniotic fluid helps the baby to develop, and protects them from bumps, infections and injuries. Babies will not grow normally without an adequate amount of the fluid.
The trust which runs the hospital has since apologised and admitted responsibility for the poor care Ms Pateman received.
Tragic: Katie Pateman, 30 with stillborn daughter Poppy after a torturous seven-hours in labour
Tiny: Poppy was stillborn on September 15, 2016 weighing just 4lb 11oz. Experts say the child would've been alive and healthy if her mother was induced two weeks earlier
The stay-at-home mother is set to receive thousands of pounds in compensation after the string of blunders at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon.
She said: 'Still to this day, I can't believe it happened. I didn't think it would ever happen to me. Now it's something I've got to live with for the rest of my life.
'Sometimes I'll just be driving along and suddenly I'll think about holding her and how she was cold and I'll get chills down my spine.'
It is believed that she was suffering from a rare condition called 'oligohydramnios', which causes too little amniotic fluid.
The fluid is essential for the baby to move and grow. Oligohydramnios can lead to deformation, umbilical cord compression and death.
The amniotic sac is a bag of fluid inside a woman's womb (uterus) where the unborn baby develops and grows.
The amniotic sac is filled with clear, pale, straw-coloured fluid in which the unborn baby floats and moves.
The amniotic fluid helps to cushion the baby from bumps and injury, and maintains constant temperature for the baby.
It also helps the baby's lungs, digestive system and musculoskeletal system to develop.
The amniotic sac starts to form and fill with fluid within days of a woman conceiving.
Amniotic fluid is mainly water. The unborn baby swallows the amniotic fluid and passes tiny amounts of urine into the fluid.
The amount of amniotic fluid increases gradually during pregnancy until about week 38, when it reduces slightly until the baby's born.
What happens when my waters break?
Before or during labour, the amniotic sac breaks and the fluid drains out through the vagina. This is commonly known as your waters breaking.
If your waters break before your labour starts, you'll notice either:
- a slow trickle from your vagina, or
- a sudden gush of water that you can't control
Phone your midwife or the hospital for advice.
If you plan to give birth in hospital or a midwife unit, you'll probably be advised to go in at once.
Without amniotic fluid, your baby is no longer protected and is at risk of infection.
Always speak to your midwife or GP if you're concerned about any aspect of your health when you're pregnant.
Source: NHS
Ms Pateman said: 'The leaking continued throughout the pregnancy. It wasn't much per day but by the time I went in to give birth there was none.
'I complained that my knickers were very wet and I felt like something was leaking.
'I know now that they should have sent off this liquid to see exactly what it was but they just said that I could be sweating.
'It wasn't enough to make me think my waters had broken so it never really crossed my mind.'
Ms Pateman first learned that Poppy was in danger after being rushed to the maternity ward on September 14 - around her expected due date - to give
