Mother left cradling stillborn baby after midwife failed to notice the child was dead

Elizabeth Reader told of the devastating moment her stillborn daughter Scarlet was placed on her chest.

The shocking blunder followed a string of other errors by two midwives during the delivery, a hearing was told.

Sandra Bickers and Peter Davies, both 45, ignored instructions from a senior doctor and later on Davies did not even realise Scarlet had turned blue.

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Mrs Reader and her husband Len watched in horror as the midwife promised the baby would be fine.

"He had put her on my chest and I said she looked blue," Mrs Reader sobbed. "He hadn't realised she was dead, he had no idea."

The midwife hit the emergency alarm and the resuscitation team arrived to try to revive the baby but it was too late.

Davies has now been struck off following the hearing by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Mrs Reader had been admitted to Conquest Hospital, in St Leonards, East Sussex, in June 2004, the council was told.

Despite the fact she was in "spontaneous labour" it took an hour for Bickers to find Mrs Reader a room and another hour for her to check the baby's heart rate.

The pair failed to check the girl's heart rate every 15 minutes despite the delivery's high-risk status and instructions to do so from a consultant.

They did not seek advice from any senior colleagues and did not use the specialist equipment required in such cases.

Bickers, who was working the day shift, handed over to night midwife Davies during the long and complicated labour.

Mrs Reader, who previously had to have an emergency caesarean section when she had twins, was in labour for nine hours before giving birth to the stillborn girl.

She suffered a serious uterine tear and complained of severe pain after the birth and had to be taken into surgery the next day.

In her defence Bickers, of Bexhill, East Sussex, told the panel she "just plain forgot" to use a specialist equipment during the traumatic delivery.

Davies, of Polegate, East Sussex, did not show up for the hearing but sent an 11-page statement to the panel in which he denied any misconduct.

However, panel chairman Ann Kelly said: "He created a serious risk of harm to mother and baby.

He has not accepted that he did anything seriously wrong and has taken no steps to remedy the deficiencies in his practice.

"His failings deprived the team of the opportunity to identify the risk at an early stage and take the appropriate action."

The panel found both midwives' actions were "contrary to good midwifery practice".

However, Mrs Kelly said that while Bickers had not followed guidelines in using the correct equipment, she had acted in good faith. She was given a caution, to remain in place for five years.

"This is the maximum period in order to mark the seriousness of the errors of professional judgment," Mrs Kelly.

"The fundamental failing in this case was her decision not to commence continuous heart monitoring."

After the hearing, Mrs Reader said: "It's been three-and-a-half long years. Throughout, the midwives were blaming me for the death of my daughter saying I refused to be monitored. Finally we can have some peace."