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A mother has been awarded £200,000 ($321K au) in damages after she was left infertile following a botched C-section.

Natasha Richardson, 26, was accidentally cut by surgeons during her Caesarean section and developed a flesh-eating bug, reports Daily Mail.

Surgeons were unaware of their error until the mum returned to hospital 10 days later suffering from intense stomach pain.

After being transferred to intensive care and operated on, she was diagnosed with necrotising fasciitis which had eaten away at her womb and surrounding tissue.

She was then transferred for a hysterectomy to remove all of the infection – leaving her unable to extend her family.

Ms Richardson, from Harrogate, said: ‘I am pleased that the hospital have acknowledged what they did wrong but to think that all I needed was antibiotics is heartbreaking.

‘I can’t believe what I have been through for them missing something so simple.

‘It was always our intention to have three children and now that will not happen.’

‘It is sad to think about what we could have had. And I’ve only just started to think about this, in the early days I could only think about healing.’

Ms Richardson was told she needed a Caesarean because there were problems with her child’s heart.

And despite Noah arriving at a healthy 6lbs 2oz, she was left cut from the operation – but doctors had no idea.

And because she wasn’t given antibiotics after the C-section she developed a severe flesh eating bug, experts say.

She was sent home five days after the second operation and she put her weakness, fatigue and pain down to giving birth.

But it was when she was rushed back to Leeds General Infirmary, where she had given birth, 10 days later that they realised she had developed necrotising fasciitis.

This devastating bug had eaten away at her womb and surrounding stomach muscles and tissue. She was transferred to a different hospital where they performed a hysterectomy.

Over the following months Ms Richardson had a further six operations to remove all of the bacteria.

This left her with an open wound in her stomach and very little muscles. She had to remain in hospital attached to a vacuum machine to help her open wound heal.

She has now developed a hernia and has terrible scars – with one on her stomach measuring 30cm x 10cm, leaving her conscious over what she wears.

She is now set to go under the knife again as surgeons attempt to repair the hernia, reconstruct her stomach and to perform plastic surgery.

Professor Suzanne Hinchliffe, deputy chief executive at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: ‘On behalf of the Trust I would like to express our sincere apologies to Ms Richardson and her family.

‘This was an extremely tragic case and we have looked carefully at what occurred and made changes to our Caesarean clinical guidelines as a result.’

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  • Such a tragic story – these sort of things shouldn’t happen in this day and age, but we are all human and make mistakes, even doctors.

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  • Basically hers and her husband’s dreams have been shattered. I can imagine the ongoing problems from such infections is very hard to cure permanently.

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  • It’s very unfortunate what happened to this lady.

    Reply

  • Tragic story, which could have be prevented if she’d been given the right medicine.

    Reply

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