A heartbroken mum says her newborn has endured unnecessary suffering for months after doctors missed a “blatantly obvious” condition.

Demi-Leigh Hughes, of Hersden, described how William Harvey Hospital medics failed to spot baby Isabella’s potentially life-long medical issue until “weeks too late”.

The 31-year-old is calling for training improvements for neonatal staff after her little-girl - born with an anterior anus (AA) undetected by doctors - has cried in pain for weeks.

AA is where the opening is located abnormally in the front of the perineum and can be associated with digestive and reproductive problems.

Isabella had to be delivered as an emergency, five weeks premature, at the Ashford hospital on August 5, but it was only 11 weeks later the problem was spotted.

“When she had her newborn (medical) check it should have been noticed then,” said Ms Hughes.

“It’s blatantly obvious - every medical professional I have spoken to since has stated this.”

The mother-of-two says Isabella has cried in pain for weeks and requires a constant medication supply to ensure she does not suffer a blockage in her bowel.

“I’ve got a child of 13 weeks who’s been crying non-stop, who is dependent on laxatives in order to poo because of something that could have been picked up and should have been picked up weeks ago.

“For 13 weeks we’ve had this problem of her screaming and screaming and we’ve just had to have more and more medication.

“She’s on laxatives that a 12-year-old child should be on.

“Now, she’s going to need a major operation to try and reposition her bowel - she might need a stoma bag.

“She would have had these problems no matter when the problem was noticed.

“But if it had been spotted sooner - like it should have been - then she could have started treatment and wouldn’t have had to go through all this pain.”

Ms Hughes says she was apprehensive about giving birth at the William Harvey following a bad experience there with her last pregnancy, but was promised it would be different.

Speaking of considering legal action, she said: “If they’ve missed this with my child, how many more children are they actually missing things with?

“Neonatal doctors need to pay more attention and they clearly need more training in what to look for.

“It could save other families the distress that I’ve had for the past 13 weeks.”

A spokesperson for East Kent University Hospitals Trust, which runs the William Harvey, said: “We are sorry to hear of Ms Hughes’ distress and would invite her to contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service.

“While all practitioners who complete baby checks receive dedicated training, including examining for anterior anus, it is not always possible to identify the condition at this stage.”