‘I had C-section without proper anaesthetic’

Warning – this article contains distressing content

“I was being slaughtered like an animal on the table and no one cared.”

Those are the words of Yvonne Gwara-Nare as she recalls the moments she gave birth during an emergency Caesarean without proper anaesthetic in August last year.

The mother-of-two told the BBC her screams and “unbearable” pain she suffered during the procedure had been dismissed by medics at Nottingham City Hospital, who told her she was “feeling pressure, not pain” on the stomach.

Nottingham University Hospitals Trust (NUH) said an investigation was under way, but guidelines had not been followed and it apologised for the “significant pain and distress” Mrs Gwara-Nare had suffered.

The 34-year-old, from Clifton in Nottingham, was more than 40 weeks pregnant with her daughter Naledi when she was induced.

Concerns with the baby’s heart rate led to the decision to perform a C-section, however, Mrs Gwara-Nare said the medics’ communication had been “horrendous” as she was taken into theatre.

She said she had not been made aware of what was happening to her, adding she had not consented to the surgery.

“I thought they’re going to assist me in delivering the baby,” she said.

“I didn’t know they were actually taking me to theatre.

“I didn’t feel listened to at all. They were talking to each other but not me and my husband.”

Mrs Gwara-Nare, an NHS physiotherapist, said what had followed was something “no woman should ever go through”.

“The anaesthetic was given and I said ‘I can still feel the cold spray’,” she said.

“I said it four times, but they carried on with the C-section.

“I felt a cut across my stomach and I screamed ‘I’m in pain’, but I was told I was feeling pressure, not pain.

“The pain was unbearable. I couldn’t talk anymore to say I’m in pain because it was excruciating.

“I was in a horror movie of my own. I was being slaughtered like an animal on the table and no one cared.”

Her husband Avias Nare, 38, who was with his wife in the operating theatre, said her screams had “intensified”, adding: “I thought she’s going to be shocked by pain to death.”

He said he had not raised his concern at the time because he trusted the medics.

Mrs Gwara-Nare said: “I didn’t think I was going to make it out alive.

“I heard her [Naledi] crying and I said, ‘If I die now, it’s OK. She’ll be well taken care of’.”

She said the ordeal had had a huge impact on her bond with her newborn daughter.

“For weeks I couldn’t hold her, I couldn’t breastfeed because I couldn’t carry her because of the pain I was feeling,” she said.

“I can’t bear to be pregnant again, having anxiety that I’m going to have to have a C-section again.”

Mrs Gwara-Nare said she was having therapy to help her deal with her ordeal.

She said she and her husband were “trying to be strong as a family” and hoped to encourage other women with similar experiences to come forward.

“Speaking up has been helpful because I know I’m not just doing this for myself but for other women and their families,” she added.

In a letter to Mrs Gwara-Nare, seen by the BBC, a trust medical director wrote: “I am extremely sorry that you experienced significant pain and distress during your Caesarean section. It has been harrowing to hear about your experience and the subsequent trauma it has caused.”

In a further statement, NUH’s chief nurse Tracy Pilcher said: “We recognise that Yvonne’s experience wasn’t of the standard expected and we are very sorry for the distress that caused.

“Yvonne and her family rightly expect answers, and we have begun investigating this matter, sharing learnings and taking appropriate action where we can while the investigation is ongoing.

“We are committed to improving our maternity services and hearing from and listening to those who have concerns about their care are crucial to this.”

Additional reporting by Sonia Kataria