A swab was left inside my body after I gave birth

After giving birth to her first baby last June, Aisha McCracken experienced extreme pain and a foul smell and knew something was not right.

But both in the hospital and at home, midwives brushed her concerns aside, saying that feeling sore was to be expected.

However, eight days after Sophie was born at the Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH), it was discovered that a swab had been left inside Aisha, putting her at risk of potentially fatal sepsis and toxic shock syndrome.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde apologised "unreservedly" to Aisha and said an investigation was being carried out. It is implementing new systems to prevent such incidents from happening again.

Aisha, 28, said her experience was so bad that she and husband David have now made the painful decision not to have any more children.

"It really has had that big an impact that Sophie will be our only child," she told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme.

"I feel like the doctors and healthcare professionals that were on shift that day and have left that swab in me have totally robbed me of a family that I was longing for.

"We are so lucky to have Sophie, so lucky to be able to have children. We are so beyond grateful. However, when you have dreams of extending a family but to then know you physically can't put yourself through that again, that's quite a hard thought."

Aisha felt something wasn't right two days after Sophie was delivered - a month early - using forceps.

She was unable to sit or walk short distances and said there was an "offensive" smell.

"I knew that something wasn't right and highlighted this within the ward and was told 'you've just had a baby and have been cut - it's going to be sore'."

Aisha was discharged after five days and raised her concerns with the community midwife, who also dismissed them.

"I was visually checked - once on the ward and once at home - but it wasn't very thorough," she said. "Just a quick look, more looking at the stitches rather than looking for infection.

"Even though it was my first baby I knew something wasn't right.

"I think this is the scary thing - if it is your first you don't have anything to go on. You can't look back and say 'I didn't have this with my last one'.

"You're going off other people's experiences - I just knew something wasn't right and I had to sort it."

Aisha eventually discovered the swab herself and was taken back to hospital to have it removed.

"Without any warning a piece of medical swab was removed, soaked in bodily fluids," she said.

"I burst into tears. I was physically and emotionally exhausted and just thought 'why me?'."

She has seen her medical records and the two swabs were accounted for.

"They have been signed and accounted for so I don't know how it's happened," she said.

The traumatic experience Aisha has been though has had a big impact on her and all her family.

It affected her mental health - she has had to take medication and attend birth trauma therapy and counselling.

"It's been incredibly challenging for my family and friends, as well as myself," she said.

"I couldn't fully engage in motherhood because of my ongoing health problems. It's cause a lot of tension, frustration and sadness in our household

"I think the biggest challenge was the lack of clear communication. I felt like I had to go through multiple hurdles before they even acknowledged me."

Dr Claire Harrow, deputy medical director for acute services at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: "We would like to apologise unreservedly to Mrs McCracken for the distress she has suffered.

"The circumstances of this case are the subject of a detailed investigation, and we are currently implementing a new system to prevent such incidents happening again.

"This includes a new reporting tool in all birth rooms, a new standard operating procedure and enhanced training for all staff."

In response, Aisha said: "With the promises that have been made that they are updating protocols, I do hope that this helps.

"Really, I want more transparency and accountability within the healthcare system."

She feels there should be stricter checks to make sure all medical equipment is accounted for after delivery.

"My birth experience has been traumatic but I'm using my voice now to push for change, more thorough care and a system that truly listens and values women's health," she said.

"I don't think they quite realise the impact it's had on me and my family. I think they think that giving out a generic apology is OK.

"Physically, I have suffered from being in extreme pain and battling the offensive odour.

"Emotionally, it was even harder. The feeling of betrayal and stress of not knowing what was happening inside my own body was overwhelming.

"It's about the emotional toll this kind of error takes on you as a mother and as a human.

"My baby could have lost her mummy."