Exclusive:
Brittany Dryden was left with “a gaping hole” in her body that no-one found because she wasn’t examined properly after giving birth to her first son. She says she is “catastrophically defective”
A mum says she no longer feels like a woman and is “completely broken” after being left incontinent due to hospital failures during child birth.
Brittany Dryden suffered a 3cm tear to her perineum during the birth of her first son in 2016. It was not repaired at the time and the injury left her without proper control of her bowels. She was told what she was going through was normal and to be expected after childbirth.
After the birth of her second son in 2018, her symptoms became much worse. It wasn’t until years later Brittany discovered the full extent of the damage caused due to the failure to diagnose her initial injury. She had told maternity staff at the Royal Sussex University Hospital – whose maternity unit is rated ‘inadequate’ by CQC – of her concerns about her incontinence and inability to control flatulence after having her first son, but Brittany said she was “dismissed as a new mum who didn’t know what she was talking about”.
Business owner Brittany told the Mirror: “I felt like I was crazy. I kept saying this can’t be normal, but was reassured this is what happens in childbirth. There was essentially a gaping hole in my body that no-one found because I wasn’t examined properly, but I was told later by a specialist gynaecological doctor that it was so obvious it would have been as plain to see as the nose on their face. But no-one checked.”
After the birth of her second son Brittany’s symptoms worsened, and she continues to live with incontinence today. The University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, which manages the Royal Sussex where she gave birth, has admitted failing to treat the third degree tear.
The 41 year old from Brighton added: “I feel hideous and every day, every smile, every cheerful conversation, feels like an act. I have no self worth and my spirit is broken. I don’t even feel like a woman. How am I meant to feel sexy or beautiful? I have put on 60lbs (four stones) through not being able to exercise when anyone is around, and risk of prolapse. The pandemic was the only time my injury didn’t matter. Imagine that – I need the whole world to stop moving just to not feel hideous and embarrassed leaving my house every day.
“Before I became a mother I did yoga five times a week, now the thought of entering a studio makes me cry. I always imagined myself as being one of those yummy mummies doing squat jumps on the beach – but I can never be that, and I now actively avoid those women who are seemingly living a normal life as a mum. I will never be that mum. I used to love my body, but now I just want to hide away.
“I have to tell every person in my life about my problem eventually. I can’t work in a shared workspace, I can’t travel with work, even my kids know that if I need the toilet it’s an emergency. How awful is that? My life shouldn’t be like this.”
Brittany has been warned that while surgery is possible, it will not correct her problems entirely, and she will live with a permanent device placed in her, as well as needing a colostomy and using a stoma, with a risk of it being permanent.
“It’s an absolutely awful situation to be in. Both of my births were uncomplicated and routine, and after having such textbook births to then be left in this condition is horrible. The medical words they use for me are heartbreaking. I have a ‘catastrophic injury’ that has resulted in an ‘extreme defect’. How am I meant to overcome that? I am catastrophically defective. I am broken.
“Of course I feel disgusted with my body, I feel shame and resentment and insecurity because the part of me that makes me a woman will never be the same, and had it been caught it’s likely I would have healed.”
She believes medical professionals and women alike should become more used to talking about childbirth and potential complications, to remove the stigma that exists and give more empowerment to new and expectant mothers.
“No-one wanted to talk to me about my symptoms, let alone look at my injury, because it’s an uncomfortable topic in an intimate area. But really, we need to be making women aware well before the birth what complications may exist and what to look out for. We need to be examining new mothers properly and listening to their concerns. I was scared and asked for more pain medication, but was told that it’s just what it feels like after birth, and I was not examined.
“But if they had taken just an extra moment for a scared new mum to allay her fears, they may have seen what had happened to me and been able to prevent all of this. Worst case scenario, they gave good bedside manner to a nervous new mum. Best case, they are able to catch something early that is treatable.
“I want women to remember that if something feels wrong, then shout about it, be insistent that they examine you. I tried to be really friendly in raising my concerns and accepted the advice of the professionals, but look where that got me. If you think something may be wrong, then make sure they listen to you, no matter how much of an inconvenience or troublemaker you are made to feel. One moment of embarrassment is better than a lifetime of it.”
Brittany is being supported in seeking resolution from University Hospitals Sussex by Nisha Sharma, principal lawyer at Slater and Gordon. She said: “Had an appropriate examination been carried out after Brittany gave birth, she would not be living with the devastating consequences that she does today.
“Through this not being done after the birth of Brittany’s first son, the impact was then exacerbated after she gave birth for a second time. This is absolutely unacceptable and inexcusable, and the impact on Brittany’s life has been enormous, both mentally and physically. Maternity teams have a duty to complete thorough assessments of their patients after childbirth, and also to listen to the concerns of new mothers rather than them being dismissed.
“We commend Brittany for telling her story, and fully support her calls to empower pregnant women and new mothers and ensure their voices are heard.”
The Mirror has contacted The University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust for comment.
