The stories have been as shocking as they are tragic: dozens of babies who died or were left brain-damaged after errors by clinical staff at one of Britain's biggest hospitals.
But among the appalling cases of negligence spanning a decade uncovered by an investigation into Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, one stood out as particularly alarming – a baby boy, born in July 2019, who cried just once after birth, then fell silent, didn't move or feed, yet was discharged by staff who said all was 'normal'.
Earlier this month, his bereft mother said: 'He never opened his eyes… He never moved, he didn't lift his arm, a finger, a murmur.'
She tried to raise the alarm – yet both midwives and a junior doctor dismissed her concerns, and told her that only if he didn't feed for 48 hours would they do anything.
The woman, in her 30s, and her son were then discharged with paperwork stating the newborn was 'happy and content', and that the midwife had seen him 'both breastfed and bottle-fed', which, the family now say was untrue.
A baby boy, born in July 2019, who cried just once after birth, then fell silent, didn't move or feed, yet was discharged by staff who said all was 'normal'. Pictured: Stock image
In the early hours of the following morning, back at the family's Nottingham home, the baby stopped breathing.
His mother performed CPR and called an ambulance – but attempts to resuscitate him proved futile.
An independent investigation into the death, published last week, made note of the Trust's so-called 'reluctant feeder' policy, which instructed staff not to intervene or offer a bottle of formula if a newborn doesn't feed for up to 48 hours.
Such guidance was said to 'ensure optimal breastfeeding support' and avoid 'unnecessary formula supplementation'.
An inquest found the baby died due to a respiratory problem normally seen only in premature babies, and may also have suffered an underlying metabolic condition.
It is unclear if not being fed played a role in his death.
Yet Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has since changed its feeding protocol, shortening the delay to action, should a newborn not breastfeed, from 48 hours to just two.
The family's legal case against the Trust is ongoing, and there have been calls for a public inquiry.
But perhaps equally worrying, many maternity units still abide by similar reluctant feeding guidance to the one now abandoned by Nottingham.
Figures published last week by the Health Select Committee revealed there are 1,000 preventable deaths among infants every year in British hospitals.
An independent investigation into his death made note of the Trust's so-called 'reluctant feeder' policy, which instructed staff not to intervene or offer a bottle of formula if a newborn doesn't feed for up to 48 hours. Pictured: Stock image
The committee, chaired by former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, made special mention of the pressure on women to have a natural birth.
Now campaigners are suggesting one 'misguided' hallmark of maternity care could explain some of these catastrophic failings: an 'outdated obsession with breastfeeding'.
Dr Ruth Ann Harpur, a psychologist who runs lobby group The Infant Feeding Alliance, said: 'Not giving a baby anything to eat for 48 hours might be unlikely to harm them, because newborns have reserves that allow them to go without feeding for this sort of time – but I struggle to see how it can be optimal.
'I know of many women with babies who have ended up hospitalised with starvation-related conditions simply because midwives would do anything not to give them a bottle. I also know of cases where something serious has been missed because the midwives have been too preoccupied with breastfeeding.'
As evidence for the failings of maternity wards' breastfeeding regimes, Dr Harpur points to a 2017 Nuffield report that shows the number of infant hospital admissions for feeding-related problems, such as jaundice and dehydration, had doubled since 2006.
Since the early 1990s, hospitals have used various schemes to encourage mothers to opt for breastfeeding in response to the UK's record-low rates – a hangover from the 1950s culture of medicalised childbirth, whereby formula was wrongly assumed to be superior.
One of them, the World Health Organisation-backed Baby Friendly Initiative, has been adopted widely and requires maternity wards to adhere to standards designed to keep women breastfeeding, should they want to, for up to six months.
This has been a huge success, credited for increasing the number of mothers who choose to breastfeed by at least 30 per cent.
And the health benefits are well proven – studies suggest breastfed babies are less likely than formula-fed counterparts to become obese in later life or develop allergies and gastrointestinal infections.
But amid the triumphs have been consistent reports of problems. Some mothers say breastfeeding is prioritised by maternity staff above all else – including both their and the newborn's health.
Speaking to this newspaper, one mother told of being discharged from hospital after two days, despite her baby's weight continuing to plummet.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has since changed its feeding protocol, shortening the delay to action, should a newborn not breastfeed, from 48 hours to just two. Pictured: Stock image
The weight loss continued for five weeks at home, until against the health visitor's advice she introduced bottles after noticing her baby had 'protruding bones'.
Another was left traumatised after midwives attempted to latch their baby on to their breasts while they were fast asleep on a high-dependency unit recovering from a serious haemorrhage.
One mother from London said the pressure from midwives to breastfeed while she struggled to produce sufficient milk caused her to spiral into a severe depression that saw her being admitted to a psychiatric ward.
'A problem I see commonly: the baby won't feed but the staff say 'Don't worry, it's normal', then a few days later the baby has lost a dangerous amount of body weight and has to be readmitted to hospital,' says Clare Byam-Cook, who has 30 years' midwifery experience in busy London hospitals and is now a breastfeeding consultant.
'It seems hospitals are more concerned about ticking the
