Sarah Bowskill gives birth on roadside 45 mins after doctors said 'you're not in labour'
Going through labour is terrifying enough without having to give birth in the back of an ambulance.
But a scared mother from Birmingham was forced to have her baby on the side of the road, just 45 minutes after midwives turned her away from Good Hope Hospital saying: 'What you're experiencing is not labour.'
Sarah Bowskill's daughter, Lily May, then had to undergo emergency resuscitation when she stopped breathing soon after her birth.
Nightmare labour: Sarah Bowskill (left), pitured with her mother Yvonne Bowskill and daughter Lily May, was turned away from Good Hope hospital in Birmingham when midwives did not believe she was in labour
Paramedics rushed the baby to Good Hope's intensive care unit as they revived her on Saturday morning after the delivery in an ambulance near the Wylde Green pub, on Birmingham Road, in Sutton Coldfield.
Sarah, who has another child, Callum, aged five, is still in hospital. And Lily May is also being closely monitored in the paediatric unit.
Yvonne Bowskill, Sarah's mother has called for an inquiry into the incident and said she was consulting lawyers over claims of clinical negligence at the hospital.
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She said Sarah, aged 31, first attended the maternity unit at 7.30am on Saturday and told midwives she was experiencing severe pain and starting contractions.
Three hours later she was in so much pain she could not walk.
But instead of examining her, midwives sent her home to Chartley Road, Erdington, at 10.45am.
Sent home: Mother-of-two, Sarah, ended up giving birth to her daughter in the back of an ambulance 45 minutes after being turned away from the hospital
Yvonne, who was with Sarah the whole time, said: 'She knew she was going into labour. When we got to the hospital it was so bad she was gasping for pain relief, but the midwife said she was not about to have the baby.
'They kept saying to her, "You're not in labour. What you're experiencing is not labour".
'She could not walk and she was begging for help but they just told her to go home. They wouldn't even get her a wheelchair.
'As soon as we got home she said, "Mum, I feel like I want to push."
'I rang the hospital and said she wanted to push so they told me to put the phone down and dial 999 straightaway.'
Worried grandmother: Yvonne Bowskill said Sarah 'was completely shell-shocked and could not believe what had happened to her or the ordeal she had been subjected to'
The ambulance arrived soon after at 11.25am - 40 minutes after Sarah was sent home from the hospital.
During the high-speed dash to the hospital, the baby's head appeared and the emergency vehicle was halted. The paramedic delivered the baby at 11.30am.
'We heard one cry from the baby before the crew radioed ahead to say Lily May had stopped breathing,' said Yvonne.
'The ambulance ! driver h ad to stop the car so he could come in the back and help resuscitate her.
'When we arrived, a team of doctors ran to meet the vehicle and whisked Lily May off to a high dependency unit.'
Yvonne said Sarah was not able to hold her child for the first time until an hour later when nurses brought Lily May to her bedside.
But the baby turned 'blue' again and she was immediately placed in an incubator, said Yvonne.
'Sarah was frightened for the condition of her baby. She was completely shell-shocked and could not believe what had happened to her or the ordeal she had been subjected to,' said Yvonne.
She said staff had still not offered an apology for the drama.
'It seems they are just covering each others' backs. But it could have been a very different, more tragic outcome.
'We are all very upset but managing to pull together for Sarah and Lily May's sake.
'The whole situation could have been prevented, but I want the hospital to hold a full investigation into the whole episode. We are planning to take legal advice.'
Lily May is still in intensive care as her oxygen levels keep falling.
'It should have been a plain and simple delivery but now it's a nightmare,' said Yvonne. 'We think Lily May will pull through but they just need to understand why her oxygen is dropping.
Lisa Dunn, Good Hope hospital director, said: 'We are very disappointed to learn of these complaints raised'
'Fair play to the ambulance men. They were marvellous - she got better treatment from them than she did in the hospital.
'I want the nation to know what happened so that midwives get better training.'
Lisa Dunn, Good Hope hospital director, said: 'We are very disappointed to learn of these complaints raised.
'For reasons of confidentiality, we cannot comment on any individual patient. We would e! ncourage Sarah Bowskill to get in contact with us directly so that we can fully understand all of their concerns and address the issues raised.'
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