A mother has relived the horrific moment she gave birth to her severely-premature baby in the toilet of a labour ward - despite medics declaring her medically fit to go home just hours earlier. Cerys Blackwell, who only saw her son Bobby James for moments before he was taken away and pronounced dead, said the traumatic ordeal still haunts her to this day. She was 23 weeks pregnant when she gave birth at Prince Charles Hospital, Merthyr Tydfil, on April 15, 2017. An independent review into maternity services, which she opened up to, at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board found a catalogue of serious failings 'from board to ward'. Cerys Blackwell gave birth to her premature son Bobby James at 23 weeks in the labour ward toilets despite being told she was fit to go home. Behind her in this picture is a sign with Bobby's name and the words 'Mammy' and 'Daddy' Mrs Blackwell said she was only allowed to see her son for a few moments (pictured) before he was taken away and pronounced dead 'I felt like I didn't really matter [to the staff] because we were not at term. Some of the staff were great and supportive - but many did not care. 'I did not feel safe even though I was in hospital, and I would fear the weekends and the nights when I knew the wards were understaffed.' Mrs Blackwell, who had a whole host of complications and needed multiple stays in hospital throughout her pregnancy, was admitted to Hospital on Thursday, April 13, because of concerns about bleeding and a blod clot. She said the doctor wanted to run tests but 'like on other occasions, other staff took over and I don't feel like they observed me as well as they should have'. 'Samples went missing and results were not interpreted correctly during changeovers,' she said. She opened up about her experience at Prince Charles Hospital, Merthyr Tydfil, at an independent review into Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board. (Pictured) Mrs Blackwell and her second son Noah George Blackwell Mrs Blackwell and her second son Noah throw flowers into the sea on the second anniversary of Bobby's birth in Southerndown Despite the staff initially treating her situation with caution and even giving her a private room, two days later on April 15 a consultant told her she was able to go home. She said: 'The previous day I was told to only get up out of bed to use the toilet due to my water leaking and blood loss, so I was a little taken aback at being told I was medically fit to go home. 'I asked about my leaking fluid, my cramps and regular contractions throughout the Friday morning and my severe back pain. 'She could see I was nervous, but she said to go home and take things easy. She said with it being a bank holiday weekend there was not a lot they could do anyway.' After much deliberation - and feeling very unsteady on her feet - she called her father for a lift home to Ystrad Mynach. But as soon as they arrived at their house, Mrs Blackwell said she felt 'a pop' in the centre of her pelvis. 'I could see puddles on the floor and my jeans were wet. My dad called the labour ward straight away,' she said. The tag used for Bobby James at the hospital. Mrs Blackwell said he was taken away moments after the birth and pronounced dead When they got to the labour ward, Mrs Blackwell said the staff 'laughed' at how anxious her father was. 'The midwife kept referring to how she had never seen anyone in such a state. They suggested that he was overreacting.' Before long her mother and husband, Chris Blackwell, arrived at Prince Charles Hospital. 'The contractions became more painful. I became very hot and the midwife got me a fan to cool me down. She also got me a pad as I was bleeding again. But she kept on leaving for periods of time. 'The pain was becoming so bad that I was screaming out for help. At points I was tearing my husband's t-shirt in pain. It was unbearable.' Mrs Blackwell said she couldn't be offered any pain relief until a doctor was able to review her, which took almost two hours. She was initially given gas and air which made her even more unwell and sick. 'I was asked what pain relief I wanted but at this point I couldn't speak. The doctor left, and the lady with her took the scanning machine that I thought they were going to use on me to check the baby. 'I became very anxious at the point as I felt like they weren't taking me seriously.' Mrs Blackwell claims the consultant carried out a speculum which suggested that her waters hadn't broken. Mrs Blackwell gave birth at Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, which had sent her home hours earlier after saying she was medically fit to go home 'My stomach pain was constant and I felt constipated. I asked if I could use the toilet and they agreed it was okay to do so. 'I hung onto my husband who basically carried me to the toilet and I started to feel very faint. I sat on the toilet and pushed a little bit and the pain seemed to ease. 'I kept getting up and sitting down in distress. The pain was so awful that I was holding onto a wall, my ears were ringing and my vision was becoming blurred. I became so distressed that I stripped off all my clothes and I felt more urges to push, realising that this wasn't the need for the toilet. 'I screamed to Chris to get someone because while I was holding onto the wall I could feel the baby's head and he could see the top of his head too. 'He ran and shouted for the midwives to come in. I was told to push, the cord was cut and one midwife left quickly with our baby, while the other stayed. 'I threw my arms around my husband and cried, telling him I was sorry.' While Mrs Blackwell said the two midwives who delivered the baby were incredibly supportive and helpful, the doctor was nowhere to be seen. 'The doctor, nor the midwife who were meant to be caring for me came back. This made me even more upset.' Bobby was born weighing just 1lb but died shortly after birth. His post-mortem showed that he had severe chorioamnionitis, an inflammation of the foetal membranes due to a bacterial infection. He had contracted it on delivery. Survival rates of babies born at 23 weeks are as low as 13 per cent. 'I blamed myself entirely,' said Mrs Blackwell. 'I felt I had failed him by not being able to keep him safe, bit being able to carry him to term. 'We spent the night in a family room with him thanks to a cold cot. He was perfect and we were able to say exactly who he looked like.' Since the horrendous incident, Mrs Blackwell has had therapy and counselling to help her come to terms with what happened. She has also had a second son who she and her partner named Noah George. 'For a very long time I was unable to go to the car or use the toilet,' she said. Looking back, Mrs Blackwell said she clearly showed signs of infection in the lead-up to the delivery. 'I will always wonder if things could have been prevented.' Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board carried out an investigation into the baby's death and gave the married couple the results almost 12 months after Bobby's death. They concluded that there was no breach in the duty of care. Allison Williams, chief executive of the health board, said in response: 'Our thoughts are with all those who have experienced such a tragic loss and I am sincerely sorry for the distress that many women and their families have experienced, and are still going through. 'We can't comment on individual cases but the accounts from some of the patients who have been in our care have been heartbreaking and their experience in our maternity service has been totally unacceptable. 'We are now doing everything we possibly can to put things right at every level of the organisation and we promise that we will learn from these tragic experiences to make things better for the future.'All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility