A GRIEVING mother, who lost her baby while waiting for a Caesarean operation, is demanding an inquiry into her hospital treatment.

Michelle Howarth was just six months pregnant when her waters broke and she was taken into hospital.

After moving hospitals three times and being left for three hours waiting for an emergency Caesarean operation, her baby was stillborn in Burnley General Hospital.

A tearful Michelle, who regularly visits her son Ryan's grave at Burnley Cemetery, said: "I am absolutely devastated. I sleep with his baby grow next to me at night and I still cannot bring myself to get rid of the things that we bought for him. This has put me off having children - I will never have another because of what I have been through."

After waiting in the delivery suite for 10 hours she was told she would have to be moved to Hope Hospital, Manchester, because there was no room in the special care baby unit.

She was taken by ambulance and was again taken to the delivery suite, but after spending the day there she was told she would have to be moved to Tameside Hospital because there was an emergency admittance.

Michelle stayed in Tameside overnight but asked if she could be moved back to Burnley General Hospital the following day to be near her partner Alan Taylor and her nine-year-old daughter Demi.

A space at Burnley was found for her and, on her fourth day in hospital, she was taken back to the delivery suite where she had started.

She had been having contractions on and off over the four days, but they became stronger at Burnley, she was also running a temperature and was put on anti-biotics for an infection, which was potentially harmful to the baby.

Michelle was told by a doctor that she would be taken for an emergency Caesarean section at 3am. At this point she had a high temperature and her blood pressure was up, and the baby's heart was beating at a rapid 180 beats per minute.

She claims that 3am came and went, the Caesarean was not performed and by 6am Ryan had died.

Michelle said: "I was left alone for three hours and in that time my son died. Now I want a full inquiry about this. I will not rest until I know why I was left for three hours. Even though he was premature, if they had gone ahead with the Caesarean section at least he would have had a chance of survival but he was never even given that."

Alan said: "We were told at Hope Hospital that was a good size for a baby of only 26 weeks and if he had been born then he would probably have been in the special care baby unit for three or four months but would have had a 90 per cent chance of survival."

The couple had a meeting with the consultant earlier this month to discuss her case but said they did not come out with any satisfactory answers and is now planning to put a formal complaint to the hospital in writing.

A spokeswoman for Burnley General Hospital said: "The hospital trust cannot comment on specific patient details. We acknowledge that this is a very difficult time for Miss Howarth.

"If she is unhappy in any way with the treatment that she has received while at the hospital the trust would be more than happy to discuss the matter with her."