'My partner was handed the wrong baby's body after stillbirth at Glasgow hospital'

A woman has said she experienced suicidal thoughts after her former partner was handed the wrong baby after her son was stillborn.

Lindsay Richardson went into preterm labour following the stillbirth of her son, Charlie, at just under 21 weeks at the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital in Glasgow on December 6, 2019.

Shortly after delivery, the 34-year-old was rushed into theatre, suffering a severe haemorrhage when her placenta failed to deliver naturally.

While Lindsay was undergoing emergency surgery, her former partner, John, asked to spend time with his baby boy, who had been placed in a secure adjacent room.

After a midwife brought a baby to him, John immediately raised concerns and questioned whether the baby was really his son, Charlie.

“He knew straight away the baby they handed over wasn’t ours,” Lindsay told STV News. “He questioned it but was advised there was no chance it could be anyone else’s baby and that babies can change quite a bit after birth.”

Lindsay said John believed their son had severely deteriorated, leaving him traumatised.

“This led him to believe Charlie had decomposed. The baby he was given barely had any facial features. He held and grieved that tiny baby until the midwives suddenly realised and barged in to take the baby away,” she said.

At the time, Lindsay remained critically ill in surgery, with doctors still unsure if she would survive.

The hospital’s internal investigation later confirmed John had been handed the wrong baby, a stillborn infant belonging to another family, who had already been discharged from the labour ward and was awaiting transfer to the mortuary.

Lindsay said both she and John were left deeply traumatised by the ordeal, which ultimately contributed to the breakdown of their relationship.

“We both experienced suicidal thoughts and still deal with mental health issues to this day,” she said. “The trauma destroyed us. We separated just months later.

“The midwife failed to log the incident because John asked them not to tell me at the time – I had already been through life-saving surgery. They took that as a free pass to hide the error.

Lindsay celebrated what would have been Charlie's sixth birthday in December. — Lindsay celebrated what would have been Charlie’s sixth birthday in December. Supplied

“After the number of errors of similar severity, I felt I had to share my story. This still haunts me to this day.”

An investigation found the incident was “an avoidable event” caused by a failure in identification procedures.

The report stated: “At around 8.10pm, while the patient was in theatre, her partner requested to see their baby. A baby (Baby B) was brought to the patient’s room… The patient’s partner later indicated that this was the wrong baby. The midwife offered her apology, and the baby was removed.”

The report also revealed that the error was not documented at the time and that no identification checks were recorded.

It concluded: “The lack of a process for identification and an established practice of not identifying babies prior to being removed from the patient’s room contributed to this event.”

The investigation recommended the introduction of a strict identification procedure for babies following pregnancy loss, alongside updated training and protocols for staff.

A spokesperson for NHSGGC said: “We recognise that baby loss is a deeply painful and distressing experience, and our heartfelt condolences remain with Mr and Mrs Richardson.

“We are profoundly sorry that this difficult incident in 2019 occurred and apologise again to the family for the upset this caused.

“Following the incident, a Significant Clinical Incident (SCI) Review was carried out. This in‑depth review led to strengthened processes across all NHSGGC maternity sites, with new staff guidance introduced to help ensure that nothing like this can happen again.”