The news that her newborn daughter had passed away left a mom in KENT, UK, in a state of utter devastation as physicians broke the news to her. On the other hand, forty-five minutes later, they handed her daughter to her in a living condition. However, a few hours later, the baby girl, Grace, unfortunately passed away, and the local hospital issued a public apology to Alisha Pegg for failing to provide sufficient care to the baby.
Pegg disclosed that she went to the hospital on February 27—only 22 weeks into her pregnancy—because she was experiencing discomfort and nausea. According to The Sun, she explained that she was “doubled over in pain and being ill,” and that when she called the physicians, they concluded that she had a bladder infection because of her symptoms. “Despite the fact that I couldn’t feel Grace move, I went in anyway. After being asked by a midwife to describe the discomfort, the first thing that sprang to mind was giving birth. I had experience giving birth, so I understood what it felt like, and I noticed that my waters had started to leak.”
Pegg stated that she was asked to return home after receiving a “quick” checkup on her condition. According to the patient, “they did not do any dilation check, and they did not check to see if my waters were gone – the doctor did a bedside scan that lasted about a minute,” “I was told that they could find a heartbeat but no movement, so they stated she must have been asleep,” the witness continued. “They were able to find a heartbeat but no movement.” “I wasn’t happy, and I told them that my body felt like it wanted to push, but they told me to go home anyway,” she said.
Following the conclusion of Pegg’s initial stay in the medical facility, her mother took her daughter home with her. However, not much longer after that, she went into full-blown labor, and they were forced to summon an ambulance. “At approximately 1.20 in the morning, the pain became more severe, I began to feel ill, I began to sweat, and the room began to spin. At about 2.30 in the morning, I became aware that something was gravely wrong; at 2.40 in the morning, I called 999; and at 2.45 in the morning, I gave birth at home, by myself “— I quote her. “I have nothing but praise for the paramedics; they did an outstanding job. They were as helpful as they could be.”
After some time, Grace was transported to the newborn emergency unit, and around one hour later, Pegg was informed that the infant had passed away. However, Grace was delivered to her in a conscious state not long after that. Pegg stated, “I was told that Grace didn’t make it, but then they brought her up to me 45 minutes later, alive.” “I was informed that Grace didn’t make it,” “However, they reported that they were unable to provide any form of medical assistance, and she passed away around 6:30 in the morning. I had to go through the grieving process not once, but twice.” Pegg has detailed her ordeal in a post on Facebook, in which she says, “It is important that people hear Grace’s story and that they are made aware of the issue. Help her get her name out there by sharing this post and spreading the word.”
A fundraising page on JustGiving has been established in order to collect monetary contributions for the installation of a memorial bench in Pegg’s neighborhood gardens. “In February of 2021, I was forced to say goodbye to my daughter, Grace. In honor of Grace, I would like to have a memorial bench installed. This bench would be put in the Ashford Memorial Gardens, and any additional funds raised would also be donated to the East Kent Baby Memorial Gardens “Pegg had written something on the website. At the time that this article was being written, there was a total of £59 (about $72) raised out of the target amount of £1000 (approximately $1221).
After Grace passed away, Rebecca Martin, who was the chief medical officer at the trust, said the following: “We are really sorry that the level of care and assistance required was not met by our organization. As a result of the tragic loss of Grace, we have revised our procedures and policies, one of which is the addition of additional monitoring for women who have a higher chance of going into premature labor. We are committed to ensuring that we continue to offer continuous support for the family and respond to all of their inquiries.”