Danielle and Anthony had been delighted to learn they were having a baby girl, who they decided to call Maisie.
“I was just over the moon, I couldn’t be happier,” Anthony said.
But in February 2023, seven months into her pregnancy, Danielle woke up feeling unwell.
Her face was swollen, as were her hands and feet – all potential signs of pre-eclampsia, which can be life threatening to both mother and baby.
The couple went to the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington, Northumberland, but medics found problems with Maisie’s heart rate and told Danielle her baby needed to be delivered immediately via emergency caesarean section.
“Maisie’s heart rate had dropped and a midwife ran in and said ‘don’t panic, but I need to pull the emergency cord – you’re having your baby’,” Danielle said.
The midwife told her space was being found for her at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle and doctors there “were going to do the section”, she said.
She was transferred by ambulance but, once in Newcastle, Danielle did not have the operation and was instead put on a ward.
“A consultant came to see me and he said I am staying in hospital until Maisie was born,” she said.
But, the following day, another doctor reviewed her and sent her home.