by Keyan Milaniankmilanian@thekmgroup.co.uk

A mother claims her unborn baby died after she went unchecked at hospital for four hours.

Zowie Darling was scheduled for a caesarean section at Medway Maritime Hospital after doctors categorised her pregnancy as high-risk.

But the 24-year-old believes daughter Tilly Rose was stillborn because she was not monitored by medics on the day of the procedure.

She says her daughter was alive when she arrived at the hospital for the surgery 10 days before her due date.

Ms Darling says she had to wait four hours before she was checked by a doctor.

It was later discovered Tilly died some time that morning, possibly because of a knot in her umbilical cord.

Ms Darling claims a midwife later told her she should have been wired up to a monitoring machine from the moment she arrived at hospital.

The mother-of-one is now preparing a formal complaint against the hospital.

She said: "If they had monitored me like I think they should have, they would have known the baby was in distress.

"In the morning she was moving, she was very active. If they had, my baby might have been with me today.

"Now I cannot stop until something has been done – I just don’t want this happening to someone else again."

Ms Darling, of Bull Lane, Newington, was asked to attend Medway Maritime for the caesarean at 7am on July 15.

She said she arrived 15 minutes early, with Tilly "being fidgety", and was told to have a shower and dress in a gown.

Ms Darling claims she had to wait for a bed until 8.30am and did not know anything was wrong until a surgeon came to speak to her at 11am – and could not pick up the baby’s heartbeat.

Tilly Rose was buried at Chatham cemetery with her grandparents.

A Medway NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said: "Our most sincere sympathies remain with Ms Darling for her loss.

"We are sorry to hear about the concerns Ms Darling has raised about her care and once we have received the formal complaint, which we understand Ms Darling is compiling, we will be able to fully investigate each area of concern."

---

• Ms Darling has organised a sponsored walk in memory of baby Tilly Rose to buy a monitoring machine for the hospital.
  The walk will starts at Sheerness train station at 10.30am on October 10, finishing at the Magpie Tavern pub, in Magpie Hall Road, in Chatham. Tickets are £10. Phone Amy Sparkes for more details on 07850 522 010.