Pregnant woman who was told she had a miscarriage discovers her baby is alive and well a month later

Catherine Kent, 27, and her partner Kevin Gray, 28, were devastated when they were told that their unborn baby had died at eight weeks and she was offered an abortion or pills to shorten the miscarriage.

But Catherine chose to wait for the baby to pass naturally - and a month later she was stunned when a scan revealed that her child was still alive.

The couple were delighted that their baby was still alive but furious that the the hospital, the Sunderland Royal Hospital, had made a mistake that had caused them so much grief.

Catherine said: "What if I had taken the tablets they offered me? They could have left my baby severely disabled, or it could have died?

"They could've aborted my baby while it was alive, how can the hospital make a mistake like that?

"How many other people have taken the tablets or had an abortion when their baby was alive all the time?

"The nurse should have got another doctor to check me properly.

"You can't just rule a baby's life out without getting it double-checked."

Catherine - who has two children, Chanelle, seven, and Kane, three - is due to give birth to the baby girl on June 28, but is very worried about the birth after the traumatic experience.

She added: "It was total, utter hell. I was so depressed, I wanted to end my life.

"I cried and cried and I couldn't sleep. I'm am still not sleeping now.

"I couldn't believe it when they said the baby was still alive. My mind was all over the place.

"I cried and kept asking 'are you sure, are you sure?"

She added: "I still haven't bought anything for the baby. I can't rest until she's here and I know she's 100 per cent fine."

Catherine sent a complaint to City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust on January 7, and received a letter back saying the chief executive would reply to her within 25 days, but is still waiting for an explanation.

The trust, which was rated as providing some of the best maternity services in England in a recent Healthcare Commission review, said it had launched an inquiry, but could not discuss the case in detail because of patient confidentially.

A spokesman said: "We are looking into the complaint and will be responding to her concerns as soon as our investigation is complete."