Rink's Roost

'Doctors told me it was against the rules to save my premature baby'

By Vanessa Allen and Andrew Levy
Last updated at 7:58 AM on 09th September 2009



Doctors left a premature baby to die because he was born two days too early, his devastated mother claimed yesterday.

Sarah Capewell begged them to save her tiny son, who was born just 21 weeks and five days into her pregnancy - almost four months early.

They ignored her pleas and allegedly told her they were following national guidelines that babies born before 22 weeks should not be given medical treatment.

Miss Capewell, 23, said doctors refused to even see her son Jayden, who lived for almost two hours without any medical support.

She said he was breathing unaided, had a strong heartbeat and was even moving his arms and legs, but medics refused to admit him to a special care baby unit.

Miss Capewell is now fighting for a review of the medical guidelines.

Medics allegedly told her that they would have tried to save the baby if he had been born two days later, at 22 weeks.

In fact, the medical guidelines for Health Service hospitals state that babies should not be given intensive care if they are born at less than 23 weeks.

The guidance, drawn up by the Nuffield Council, is not compulsory but advises doctors that medical intervention for very premature children is not in the best interests of the baby, and is not 'standard practice'.

James Paget Hospital in Norfolk refused to comment on the case but said it was not responsible for setting the guidelines relating to premature births.

A trust spokesman said: 'Like other acute hospitals, we follow national guidance from the British Association of Perinatal Medicine regarding premature births.'

Miss Capewell, who has had five miscarriages, said the guidelines had robbed her son of a chance of life.

She said: 'When he was born, he put out his arms and legs and pushed himself over.

A midwife said he was breathing and had a strong heartbeat, and described him as a "little fighter".

I kept asking for the doctors but the midwife said, "They won't come and help, sweetie. Make the best of the time you have with him".'

She cuddled her child and took precious photos of him, but he died in her arms less than two hours after his birth.

Miss Capewell, who has a five-year-old daughter Jodie, went into labour in October last year at 21 weeks and four days after suffering problems during her pregnancy.

She said she was told that because she had not reached 22 weeks, she was not allowed injections to try to stop the labour, or a steroid injection to help to strengthen her baby's lungs.

Instead, doctors told her to treat the labour as a miscarriage, not a birth, and to expect her baby to be born with serious deformities or even to be still-born.

She told how she begged one paediatrician, 'You have got to help', only for the man to respond: 'No we don't.'

As her contractions continued, a chaplain arrived at her bedside to discuss bereavement and planning a funeral, she claims.

She said: 'I was sitting there, reading this leaflet about planning a funeral and thinking, this is my baby, he isn't even born yet, let alone dead.'

After his death she even had to argue with hospital officials for her right to receive birth and death certificates, which meant she could give her son a proper funeral.

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There is only one word for this: evil.

Hello all,
I think some dr's and nurses are taking the "GUIDLINES" as rules that are unbendable what the medical staff need to be told is that they should asses the situation and child before making a decision if a child that early can servive birth ,breath alone and is fighting all they way then i would certainly help and admit the child to intensive care but if the child was barely breathing seemed very ill and after assessing i knew the child wouldnt servive and it would be kinda to the child if we didnt entervine then fine but every child and birth are different just because 1 doesnt servive doesnt mean the next one wont either.

The 'Culture of Death' is alive and well in Europe, just as its becoming a reality here in America.

believe me guidelines arent the problem, morals is, and the attitude is, if its not 'viable' by some obscure little cold rule they like to go by, then they wont bother saving the life, irregardless of whether that life had a chance or not or whether that life could have turned into a potential human being, fully formed and quite healthy after getting that 'start' that was needed.

But by refusing to give that 'start' they condemn a fully formed, born human being to death.

Euthanasia by omission of lifesaving medicines that could have helped that child life a full life had that child gotten that 'start'.

Seen the 'Culture of death' firsthand with my mother in American hospitals and believe me there ARE doctors out there that obsess over 'death and dying' and do their utmost to hasten deaths by omission of lifesaving medicines.

Tried that with my elderly mother and I caught and stopped it, (they stopped giving her her anti clotting medicines which prevented strokes as well as stopping her heart medicines) to me they were actively trying to euthanise my mother by stopping very important lifesaving medicines.

Anymore nowadays doctors are more inclined to wards assessing a person via this 'rule' that determines viability of life, if a person doesnt measure up to that 'viability rule, they dont bother with em.

They yank lifesaving medicines and do their best to steer if not actively force the family of the patient to consider death instead of opting for life.

Things have changed and the once important need to help aid and abet life and help life as much as possible has changed to 'if it doesnt measure up to our strict rule on whether or not a life is viable enough, then they do or dont help it.

Its evil, plain and simple and its made inroads not only into European Hospitals its also made strong inroads into American hospitals as well.