Baby left to die for being 'too young'

NEWS.com.au

9 September 2009

A DEVASTATED mother claims doctors refused to treat her pre-mature baby because it was born two days early.

A DEVASTATED mother claims doctors refused to treat her premature baby because it was born two days early.

The tiny boy from the UK - born 21 weeks and five days into her pregnancy - died just two hours after being born, The Daily Mail reports.

Sarah Capewell, who has suffered five miscarriages previously, said she went into early labour and was told her newborn would be dead once delivered.

But after discovering her son, Jayden, had a strong heart beat and was moving his arms and legs, she called doctors and begged them to help.

Ms Capewell said doctors refused, saying medical guidelines state that "babies born before 22 weeks are not viable and are not to be helped".

She claims doctors at James Paget Hospital in Norfolktold told her that they would have tried to save the baby if he had been born two days later, at 22 weeks.

According to the Daily Mail, she told one paediatrician, "You have got to help", only for the man to respond: "No we don't."

"When I went into labour I was told he would be born dead, disabled and his skin would most likely be peeling off, in actual fact he was perfect," she wrote on her website Justice for Jayden.

"As you can see from his pic he was born alive, he was responsive and lived without help for nearly 2 hours.

"Reguardless of this doctors refused to come and see him let alone consider helping him."

A hospital official said it not t blame for setting the nation's guidelines and "like other acute hospitals, we follow national guidance".

Ms Capewell is now campaigning to make the Government to change the law.

"This is down to government legislation stating that babies born before 22 weeks are not viable and are not to be helped," she said.

"Now I'm asking for your help in changing legislation so other families don't have to suffer unnessisarily."