Tanita Middleton says the death of her baby daughter Amelia Rose five years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic was like a living nightmare. She says this heart-breaking situation was made worse by the fact that their last moments together were in a cubicle in the middle of a busy hospital Emergency Department.
Tanita says: “As I was holding Amelia Rose I could hear all of the conversations from the corridor outside. I listened as people complained about having to wear a mask, meanwhile I was having the worst moment of my life as I said goodbye to my baby.”
Amelia Rose was just nine days old when she became unwell. Tanita added: “We were at home and she was not feeding. I called the hospital for advice a couple of times during the day.
“Later on, I was soothing Amelia Rose when it felt like she had stopped breathing. I called 999. She was assessed by a first responder and we thought she was ok. We agreed to take her to Lincoln County Hospital by ambulance as a precaution. The plan was to take us back to the maternity unit, but on the way there her condition deteriorated.
“They warned me that we would be going to the Emergency Department and that there would be a lot of people there to provide the life-saving care that Amelia Rose needed.
“When we arrived, we were taken into a cubicle where they tried for over an hour to save her, but she never came back. Our precious little girl had gone.”
Tests later revealed that Amelia Rose had suffered a cardiac arrest.
Tanita added: “Our last moments with Amelia Rose were in the cubicle where she had died, with all of the same equipment that they had used to try and save her. It felt like everyone knew that we had lost our baby, we had no real privacy. It felt like everyone was looking at me. It just made the unthinkable even worse.
“This is why I have spent the last five years working with the hospital to help them make changes. We have also fundraised to help pay for some of these improvements.”
In 2023 a family room was created as part of a multi-million pound investment to create a new resuscitation department at Lincoln County Hospital for the sickest patients. The family’s input has been so valuable in helping to make sure this and other areas in the department are better able to support families.
Operational Services Manager, Vikki Smith, said: “Most of us will never know the pain of losing a child. To have Tanita’s input and support over the last five years has been so valuable. She has been the voice of our patients and their loved ones and her suggestions are making such a difference.
“This includes having a sofa in the room where families can comfort each other and a reclining chair so that parents like Tanita can spend precious time with their child in their arms, away from the noise and activity of the busy Emergency Department.
“We have also made sure refreshments are available so that families don’t have to ask. We have also included a door directly to the outside so that families can get some fresh air whenever they need or leave the department without having to pass through the area where their loved one was cared for.
“These changes have also been replicated in the new Emergency Department at Pilgrim Hospital, Boston. They are going to make such a difference to so many families over the coming years.”
Vikki added: “We only have one opportunity to get this right for our patients and their loved ones. I know that our staff have always wanted to provide this level of support to families, but it just wasn’t possible in the space we had when we cared for Amelia Rose. Now thanks to Tanita’s help we can.”
Tanita lives at home with Amelia Rose’s older brother Mason (aged 11), as well as her younger siblings Taylor (aged three) and Harper (aged two).
Amelia Rose’s family raised more than £3,600 for the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity. This helped with the cost of the furniture and other soft furnishings in the room at Lincoln, including an illuminated picture on the wall of a spring meadow.
Tanita added: “Despite all of the tests, we will never know the exact reason why Amelia Rose died. Nothing will ever be able to take away the pain of losing her, however, there is some comfort in knowing that through these changes Amelia Rose’s legacy is helping other families and she will continue to do so for many years to come.
“I would like to thank Vikki and the everyone involved for all of their help and for listening to me and my ideas. I am so proud of what we have managed to achieve together.”