A FIRST-time mum was told bleeding after giving birth was normal, but the happiest time of her life descended into a "nightmare" when she made a horrifying discovery on the loo. Ashley Roper gave birth to her son Albi after a 38 hour labour and was sent home with painkillers for external tears . But the mum soon realised she'd sustained internal injuries too, after noticing more than blood when she went to the loo.
Ashley had been left with such severe birth injuries that she was passing faeces through her vagina. What followed was a series of unsuccessful surgeries to repair the mum's internal tear, before having a stoma bag fitted. The stress of Ashley's ordeal took its toll on her relationship, her confidence and ate into those precious first few years with her son.
The mum-of-one recently received a settlement from Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, who apologised for complications in her care. Ashley now plans to launch a Birth Trauma Support Group, alongside her consultant. Ashley, a 37-year-old payroll specialist from Heckmondwike, West Yorks, says: “What should have been the happiest time of my life became an absolute nightmare.
"I couldn’t believe it when I went to the toilet and realised what was happening to me. “The hospital left me to cope with it for months. It was so embarrassing, I had to take wipes and clean underwear out with me everywhere.
“Having the stoma really knocked my confidence. I missed those first few precious years with my son, because I w.