Latest news with #highriskpregnancy
Irish Times
09-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
‘Higher risk' pregnancy antenatal care to be moved from Portiuncula hospital
Expectant mothers whose pregnancies are defined as being 'higher risk' are to have their antenatal care moved from Portiuncula University Hospital to other locations. Earlier this year, the HSE announced 10 reviews were taking place into the care given to women and babies at the hospital in Ballinasloe, Co Galway. The investigations were initiated after six babies delivered in 2024 and one in 2025 had hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) – a reduction in the supply of blood or oxygen to a baby's brain before, during or after birth. Six of these babies were referred for neonatal therapeutic hypothermia known as neonatal cooling. READ MORE In addition, two stillbirths occurred at the hospital in 2023 and the circumstances were also being reviewed externally. In light of the concerns highlighted in the review, it is understood pregnant woman who are deemed to be 'higher risk' will have their care moved elsewhere. The definition of a high-risk pregnancy is not clear cut, but often includes mothers who are older, have gestational diabetes, those with a high BMI and women who had caesarians in previous pregnancies. However, this will be subject to a decision by treating clinicians. It is understood a summary of the reviews carried out at the hospital this year will be published imminently. A previous inquiry into maternity services at the hospital was established in early 2015 with James Walker, professor of obstetrics at the University of Leeds, appointed to head it. The findings of the Walker report, published in May 2018, identified multiple serious failures including staffing issues, a lack of training and poor communication among maternity staff, which contributed to the death of three babies. Of the 18 births examined, six involved either still births or the death of the baby shortly after delivery.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Together Women's Health Welcomes The Perinatal Group as First Maternal Fetal Medicine Partner
DETROIT, June 24, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Together Women's Health (TWH) proudly announces its new partnership with The Perinatal Group, a premier and trusted leader in maternal fetal medicine (MFM) care in Tennessee and Kentucky. This partnership marks the first MFM group to join the TWH network and adds 4 board-certified MFM physicians. Together Women's Health is a women's health-focused management service organization, committed to partnering with leading physicians to build a premier network of women's health services in the U.S. TWH's affiliate network consists of 20 practices with over 180 providers delivering women's health services at over 45 locations throughout Michigan, Illinois, Alabama, Colorado, Mississippi, Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky. Founded by Dr. Sal Lombardi and Dr. Kathleen Mayor-Lynn, The Perinatal Group has built a legacy spanning more than 40 years and is known for delivering compassionate, expert care for high-risk pregnancies with the latest technology and is accredited by the prestigious American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine in Obstetric Ultrasound, High-Risk Obstetric Ultrasound, Fetal Echocardiography, and Gynecologic Ultrasound. The practice is widely recognized for its advanced ultrasound services, diagnostic capabilities, and team of experienced MFM specialists. "For over 40 years, The Perinatal Group has provided leading high-risk obstetric care to women across Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky. As the first maternal fetal medicine practice to join Together Women's Health, we're proud to bring our specialized expertise in complex pregnancy management and advanced MFM ultrasound to this growing community of exceptional OB providers," said Dr. Sal Lombardi, partner and maternal fetal medicine specialist of The Perinatal Group. "We believe the best outcomes happen when compassionate, collaborative care guides every step of the pregnancy journey." By joining TWH, The Perinatal Group will collaborate closely with a broader network of OB-GYN practices, expanding access to expert-level consultation, diagnostics, and care coordination for women experiencing high-risk or complicated pregnancies. "We are honored to welcome The Perinatal Group to Together Women's Health as our first Maternal Fetal Medicine partner," said Anthony Ahee, CEO of Together Women's Health. "Their decades-long commitment to delivering high-quality, compassionate care for high-risk pregnancies aligns perfectly with our mission. This partnership enhances our ability to support women with complex needs and strengthens our comprehensive care model across the region and throughout the TWH network." This affiliation is another step in Together Women's Health's strategy to be the most trusted name in women's health. To learn more about a partnership with Together Women's Health, visit or contact us at partner@ About Together Women's Health Headquartered in Detroit, MI, Together Women's Health ("TWH") is a women's health management services organization committed to partnering with leading physicians to build a premier network of obstetricians and gynecologists. TWH, recently named on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in America, supports its affiliated practices and physician partners throughout multiple states with strategic guidance, administrative resources (including revenue cycle management, marketing, human resources, finance, accounting, and IT), operational expertise and capital, thereby allowing physicians to focus on clinical excellence and serving their communities. TWH is building a network of top clinicians in a physician-led culture. For more information about Together Women's Health, please visit About Shore Capital Partners Shore Capital, a Chicago-based private equity firm with offices in Nashville, is an investor in lower middle market companies in the Healthcare, Food and Beverage, Business Services, Industrial, and Real Estate industries. Shore's strategy is to support management partners to grow faster with less risk through access to capital, world-class board and operational resources, and unmatched networking, development, and shared learnings across the portfolio. From 2020-2023, Shore received recognition from Inc Magazine as a 4x Top Founder Friendly Investor and by Pitchbook Research for being the global leader in Private Equity total deal volume. Shore targets investments in proven, successful private companies with superior management teams, stable cash flow, and significant potential to grow through industry consolidation and organic growth to generate value for shareholders. Shore has $9.1 billion of assets under management and in additional investment platforms to which it provides business and operational consulting services. For more information on these awards and investment platforms, please visit: View source version on Contacts Media Contact Suzanne Cooper, Vice President of Marketing Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Sun
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Watch heartwarming moment Jesy Nelson's partner Zion dances with tiny daughter after coming home with their baby twins
JESY Nelson's partner Zion Foster danced with their newborn tiny daughter in a heartwarming moment. Former Little Mix star Jesy, 34, welcomed twin girls with boyfriend Zion following a high-risk pregnancy. 4 4 4 The newborns are named Ocean Jade Nelson-Foster and Story Monroe Nelson-Foster, respectively. Taking to Instagram, Jesy shared a poignant video of Zion dancing with one of the girls. With music playing in the background, Zion wiggled the baby's hands and feet while singing to her. He also addressed the other twin, saying: "You wanna do some dancing too?" Last week, Jesy confirmed the baby girls were finally home - after a long hospital stint. She penned on Instagram: "My babies made it home for my birthday." One fan responded: "I knew they would make it home to be with you, precious miracle girls they did it for you. "They love you so much and wanted to be with mummy on her special day. Happy birthday angel!" While another shared: "So happy you guys are all home together." During her pregnancy, Jesy was diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). Jesy Nelson gives birth to twins two months early after emergency procedure to save their lives TTTS is a rare but serious condition in which blood flows unevenly between identical twins sharing a placenta - putting both babies at risk. The diagnosis took Jesy and Zion by surprise and they revealed they had no idea what TTTS was before the diagnosis. Jesy has already had a successful operation, though didn't specify the type of procedure, and has been keeping herself busy with a self-care and beauty regime. Meanwhile Zion ran the London marathon with less than five weeks training, in order to raise money for the charity Twins Trust in honour of their little ones. What are the different types of twins? TWINS are when two children are produced in the same pregnancy. They can be identical or different, and two boys, two girls, or a girl and a boy. Twins are quite rare, but are usually born completely healthy What are the different types of twins? Monozygotic – identical twins ('one cell' twins) Dizygotic – also known as 'fraternal', non identical twins. Babies are no more alike than siblings born at separate times, and they can be the same or different sexes Conjoined twins – identical twins that are joined together. They are extremely rare, and it's estimated they range from one in 49,000 to 189,000 births, although around half are stillborn, and one third die within 24 hours. Can identical twins be two different sexes? Identical twins are always of the same sex because they form from the same fertilised egg that contains either female or male chromosomes. The single egg is divided into two separate embryos, and they occur in about three in every 1000 deliveries worldwide. Therefore, boy/girl twins are always fraternal (or dizygotic), as their chromosomes are either XY (male) or XX (female). What are Di Di twins? Di Di stands for Dichronic Diamniotic, and they are the common type of twins. They have their own amniotic sacs and placenta, so are just sharing the womb of the mother, and are therefore not identical. There are few complications with Di Di twins, so have a good chance of being born completely healthy without intervention from your doctor. Di di twins are more likely to be non-identical than identical. As he completed the 26.2mile mission, Jesy watched from her room and declared in a sweet post: 'I honestly didn't think I could love you any more than I already do @zionfoster but you have made me and our babies the proudest!!!! 'You had under 4 weeks to train for the London Marathon and you have worked your absolute bum off to be able to cross that finish line today whilst raising money for an amazing cause @twinstrust and for our babies.' She added: 'Words will never be enough to let you know how proud I am of you. 'The most amazing human and daddy — we love you baby. You smashed the London Marathon!!!!' 4
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
‘My baby died after I was ignored.' More families call for Leeds NHS maternity inquiry
When Tassie Weaver went into labour at full term, she thought she was hours away from holding her first child. But, by the time she was giving birth, she knew her son had had previously told Tassie to call her local maternity unit immediately when she went into labour, she says, because her high blood pressure and concerns about the baby's growth meant she needed monitoring. But when she first phoned, despite being considered high risk, a midwife told her to stay at hours later, worried she now could not feel her baby moving, she called again. Once more the same midwife told her to stay put - saying this was normal because women can be too distracted by their contractions to feel anything else."I was treated as just a kind of hysterical woman in pain who doesn't know what's going on because it's their first pregnancy," the 39-year-old tells she rang a third time, a couple of hours later, a different midwife told her to come to hospital straight away, but by the time she arrived it was too late. Her son's heart had stopped and her husband, John, believe Baxter's stillbirth four years ago at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI),could have been prevented. A review by the NHS trust that runs the hospital identified care issues "likely to have made a difference to the outcome".The couple are among 47 new families who have contacted the BBC with concerns about inadequate maternity care at Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH) NHS Trust between 2017 and 2024. These include parents who told us their babies died or had been injured, and women who described injury and trauma following inadequate had all seen our January investigation into the potentially avoidable deaths of 56 babies and two mothers at the trust between 2019 and to the latest concerns, LTH told the BBC it was "deeply sorry" that families had been let down by the care they had received. It said it recognised it needed to make trust had taken "clear steps to make real and lasting changes", said its chief medical officer Dr Magnus Harrison, since unannounced inspections in December 2024 and January 2025 by England's regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC)."We are investing in our workforce, focusing on consistently safe staffing levels, and strengthening our culture to prioritise openness, compassion and respect," he added. If you have been affected by the issues in this story, you can contact the BBC Action Line here As well as the new families, three more whistleblowers - in addition to the two in our first investigation - have also shared concerns about the standard of care at LTH maternity units, at LGI and St James' University sites are rated "good" by the CQC, but all the whistleblowers believe that rating does not reflect is a problem with the culture, one senior staff member told us. "People [staff] are scared to raise concerns because nothing ever happens when they are raised. So there's a 'what's the point' attitude."There were also 107 clinical claims made against LTH for obstetric-related deaths and injuries between April 2015 and April 2024, the BBC has learned via a Freedom of Information request to NHS Resolution - the health service's insurance than £71m was paid during this period including for 14 stillbirths, and 13 fatalities involving mothers or babies, including Tassie's son, Baxter. 'The door is definitely unlocked' A total of 67 families have now told the BBC they experienced inadequate care at LTH's two maternity units. All want an independent review into the trust's maternity services - and a group of them have asked Health Secretary Wes Streeting for senior midwife Donna Ockenden to lead it. Some Leeds families also joined others from across England this week, to urge Mr Streeting to hold a national inquiry into maternity safety. On Tuesday, he met parents who said they "got a very clear message" that he was considering one. Jack Hawkins, whose daughter Harriet died in 2016 in Nottingham, told us afterwards: "The door is definitely unlocked. It's the only way we can improve what's going on."Mr Streeting had told a different group on Monday, however, that he would not hold an inquiry, preferring instead to announce a separate plan - opposed by families - to improve BBC understands such a plan would include an improvement taskforce led by non-NHS officials, a buddying system between poorly performing and better trusts, and a restorative justice approach where hospitals and families would meet and vow to be open and Streeting continues to meet bereaved families "to best understand how we can improve maternity services as swiftly as possible", a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said in a statement."We are finalising measures to strengthen leadership and build a culture rooted in safety, respect, and compassion in maternity services," they added. 'I knew we needed help' Tassie's care was graded "D" - the lowest possible - by the trust's review confirmed "the mother presented with reduced fetal movements but management was not appropriate"."I knew that me and my baby needed help, and I tried to communicate that as clearly as I could, and I didn't get that help," Tassie says."I had another 17 hours in labour… having to sign consent forms for a post mortem whilst having contractions trying to deliver my son, who I knew wasn't alive."That's not something anyone should ever have to do."Given her combined risks, Tassie should have been offered an induction earlier, at 39 weeks, concluded the review trust told us it offered "sincere apologies and condolences" to Ms Weaver and her family for their "distressing experiences and loss"."Immediate internal and external reviews of the care provided were undertaken and we made a number of changes as a result of this tragic case," added Dr Harrison. Common themes were expressed repeatedly by the latest families to contact us - including women feeling like they had not been listened to when they raised concerns, a lack of compassion, and families saying the trust made them feel like they were alone in their couple paid an undisclosed settlement by NHS Resolution on behalf of the trust was Heidi Mayman and her partner Dale Morton. Heidi gave birth to their first daughter Lyla in 2019, two years before Tassie gave birth to Baxter. Lyla died aged four believes her concerns were not taken seriously during her "traumatic" labour. Lyla was born in poor condition about 37 hours after Heidi says she first called the LGI's maternity assessment centre, reporting blood and fluid says she repeatedly raised concerns about reduced fetal movements and worsening pain and, like Tassie, made multiple calls before being advised to attend. "I just wish she [Lyla] were here. I feel like it's just ruined our lives, I'll never get over it," Heidi told protocols the midwives had failed to follow were outlined, along with future safety recommendations, in an external investigation by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB).Lyla's dad, Dale says the investigation reads "just like a catalogue of errors". 'Swept under the carpet' In January, we reported that 27 stillbirths and 29 neonatal deaths at LTH between 2019 and mid-2024 - plus two deaths of mothers - had been judged to have been potentially preventable by a trust review deaths reviewed included babies with congenital abnormalities - and newborns and mothers transferred after birth for specialist care. The trust said in response to our initial story that the number of potentially-avoidable neonatal deaths had been "very small".A senior clinical staff member working at the trust - one of the new whistleblowers - told us inadequate staffing levels had led to what they described as "near misses".They also said a baby had died unnecessarily on one occasion, because issues had not been recognised earlier during the mother's trust does not "learn from their mistakes", they added, and often things are "swept under the carpet". 'Taking concerns very seriously' A full report of the CQC's findings following its inspections of the trust's maternity and neonatal services, including all action it has told the trust to take, is due to be published trust was given immediate feedback regarding urgent concerns which required action to address identified risks, the CQC told us. It also took enforcement action requiring the implementation of safe staffing months after our report in January, NHS England placed LTH under its maternity safety support programme (MSSP) which works to improve trusts where serious concerns have been identified."We are taking the concerns raised by families about the quality and safety of maternity care in Leeds incredibly seriously," chief midwifery officer for England, Kate Brintworth, told Dr Magnus Harrison said in a statement: "We are fully committed to ensuring that every family receives safe, respectful and compassionate care. We recognise we need to make improvements."He added: "We have commissioned an independent external review to complement NHS England's Peer Quality Review of our neonatal services, so that we can better understand the data on neonatal outcomes." Do you have more information about this story?You can reach Divya directly and securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +44 7961 390 325, by email at or her Instagram account.
BBC News
17-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Leeds maternity
When Tassie Weaver went into labour at full term, she thought she was hours away from holding her first child. But by the time she was giving birth, she knew her son had had previously told Tassie to call her local maternity unit immediately, she says, as she was considered high risk and needed monitoring, due to high blood pressure and concerns about the baby's growth. But a midwife told her to stay at hours later she called again, worried because now she couldn't feel her baby moving. Again, she was told to stay at home, the same midwife saying that this was normal because women can be too distracted by their contractions to feel anything else."I was treated as just a kind of hysterical woman in pain who doesn't know what's going on because it's their first pregnancy," the 39-year-old tells she called a third time, a different midwife told her to come to hospital, but when she arrived it was too late. His heart had stopped and her husband John believe Baxter's stillbirth at the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI), four years ago, could have been prevented - and a review by the trust identified care issues "likely to have made a difference to the outcome".The couple are among 47 new families who have contacted the BBC with concerns about inadequate maternity care at Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH) NHS Trust between 2017 and 2024. These include parents who told us their babies died or had been injured, and women who described injury and trauma following inadequate had seen our January investigation into the potentially avoidable deaths of 56 babies and two mothers at the trust between 2019 and the latest families' accounts, LTH told the BBC it was "deeply sorry" they had been let down by the care they had received and said it recognised it needed to make trust's chief medical officer Dr Magnus Harrison said it had taken "clear steps to make real and lasting changes" since unannounced inspections in December 2024 and January 2025 by England's regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC)."We are investing in our workforce, focusing on consistently safe staffing levels, and strengthening our culture to prioritise openness, compassion and respect," he added. If you have been affected by the issues in this story, you can contact the BBC Action Line here As well as the new families, three new whistleblowers - two who still work for the trust - have shared concerns about the standard of care at its two maternity units - at the LGI and St James' University Hospital. This is in addition to the two we spoke to in our initial units are rated "good" by the CQC, but the whistleblowers believe that rating does not reflect was a problem with the culture, one senior staff member told us. "People [staff] are scared to raise concerns because nothing ever happens when they are raised. So there's a 'what's the point' attitude," they BBC has also learned that 107 clinical claims were made against LTH for obstetric-related deaths and injuries between April 2015 and April 2024. This was obtained via a Freedom of Information request to NHS Resolution - the health service's insurance than £71m was paid during this period including for 14 stillbirths, and 13 fatalities involving mothers or babies. These babies included Tassie's son, Baxter. 'I knew we needed help' Tassie's care was graded by the trust's review team - which should include an external member - as a D, the lowest confirmed that "the mother presented with reduced fetal movements but management was not appropriate"."I knew that me and my baby needed help, and I tried to communicate that as clearly as I could, and I didn't get that help," Tassie says. "Labour is painful, but when you know the baby's dead… I can't even explain."The review group also agreed that Tassie should have been offered an induction earlier at 39 weeks given the combined risks of hypertension and growth concerns with her Harrison from the trust said it offered "sincere apologies and condolences" to Ms Weaver and her family for their "distressing experiences and loss".He added: "Immediate internal and external reviews of the care provided were undertaken and we made a number of changes as a result of this tragic case." In total, 67 families have now told the BBC they experienced inadequate maternity care at Leeds. All are calling for an independent review into its maternity themes were expressed repeatedly by the 47 new families who contacted the BBC when we spoke to them. These included women feeling like they were not being listened to when they raised concerns, a lack of compassion, and families saying the trust made them feel like they were alone in their of the families paid an undisclosed settlement was Heidi Mayman and her partner Dale Morton, who gave birth to their first daughter Lyla in 2019, two years before Tassie gave birth to Baxter. Lyla died aged four also believes her concerns were not taken seriously during her "traumatic" labour. Lyla was born in poor condition about 37 hours after Heidi says she first called the LGI's maternity assessment centre, reporting blood and fluid loss. During her labour she also repeatedly raised concerns about reduced fetal movements and worsening pain."I just wish she were here. I feel like it's just ruined our lives, I'll never get over it," Heidi told external investigation following Lyla's death by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB), identified safety dad, Dale says reading the investigation, which outlined the protocols the midwives had failed to follow was "just like a catalogue of errors". 'Swept under the carpet' In January, we reported that 27 stillbirths and 29 neonatal deaths at LTH between 2019 and mid-2024 - and two deaths of mothers - had been judged to have been potentially preventable by a trust review deaths reviewed included babies with congenital abnormalities and newborns and mothers transferred after birth for specialist care. The trust said the number of potentially-avoidable neonatal deaths had been "very small".Following our report, a group of parents wrote to Health Secretary Wes Streeting calling for an urgent review into Leeds' maternity services following the BBC investigation, to be led by senior midwife Donna Ockenden. He has written to the families but not yet made a have now spoken to a total of five whistleblowers, three still working for the trust, who have echoed concerns raised by of them is a senior clinical staff member who told us they have seen "near misses" because of inadequate staffing also recalled an incident, in which a baby died, which they believe could have been prevented if issues had been recognised earlier during the staff member told the BBC the trust does not "learn from their mistakes" and often things are "swept under the carpet". 'Taking concerns very seriously' A full report of the CQC's findings following its inspection of the trust's maternity and neonatal services, including all action it has told the trust to take, is due to be published trust was given immediate feedback regarding urgent concerns which required action to address identified risks, the CQC told us. It also took enforcement action requiring the implementation of safe staffing months after our initial report, NHS England placed the trust under its maternity safety support programme (MSSP) which works to improve trusts where serious concerns have been identified."We are taking the concerns raised by families about the quality and safety of maternity care in Leeds incredibly seriously," chief midwifery officer for England, Kate Brintworth, Dr Magnus Harrison said in a statement: "We are fully committed to ensuring that every family receives safe, respectful and compassionate care. We recognise we need to make improvements."He added: "We have commissioned an independent external review to complement NHS England's Peer Quality Review of our neonatal services, so that we can better understand the data on neonatal outcomes." Do you have more information about this story?You can reach Divya directly and securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +44 7961 390 325, by email at or her Instagram account.
