A heartbroken mother lost four babies and faces never having children again after a hospital error damaged her womb.

Leanne Bilon, 30, of Thornton Heath, is demanding answers from Croydon University Hospital over a botched delivery at its maternity ward that sparked the tragic sequence of events.

She has also accused the hospital of depriving her of precious moments with one of her sons, who midwives allegedly told her had died hours before he actually had.

Health watchdogs are investigating alleged failings, which Mrs Bilon, of Norfolk Road, said had left her terrified of going to hospital.

The mother-of-three has two sons and a daughter, all born healthy, and had been to due give birth to a third son - her second child with 40-year-old husband Yane - in 2012.

But on September 24, after nearly 25 weeks of pregnancy, she experienced contractions and was taken to Croydon University Hospital by ambulance.

Nurses initially wrongly told her she was fully dilated and to begin pushing out the baby boy, which the couple had planned to call Eli.

After realising Mrs Bilon has only partly dilated, staff rushed her an emergency Caesarean section but it was deemed too dangerous.

She said: "I was wheeled back to delivery and left in the room alone while my baby died inside me. My baby was born stillborn a few hours later."

Mrs Bilon said she initially received no warning from the hospital that pushing when not fully dilated could have damaged her cervix and reduced her chances of giving birth safely.

In 2013, she miscarried while 18 weeks pregnant with twin girls.

On January 19 this year, she then lost a second baby boy, Shay, born "gasping for breath" at 11am after just 22 weeks pregnancy.

Mrs Bilon said: "I was told that even though his heart was beating it was just a flutter - he's not really alive. So I said my goodbyes and they took him out of the room.

"They came back in the room at 3.15pm telling me my baby had just died.

"I couldn't believe it. I was disgusted that they led me to believe my son all that time that my son was dead. If would have stayed with him and held him on my chest."

Mrs Bilon has since been told she has at best a 40 per cent chance of giving birth successfully, forcing her to abandon hopes of another child with her husband.

The couple, who have been married for four years, have lodged complaints against the hospital and its staff with the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman, which are all investigating.

She said: "All I want is for them to admit to what they have done. I don't want anyone else to go through what I have gone through. I have had to bury my babies. It has completely traumatised me."

Zoe Packman, director of nursing and midwifery at Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, which has admitted failings, said: "I would like to again express the trust's sincere condolences to Mrs Bilon.

"We have thoroughly investigated the concerns she has raised with us and have shared our findings with her. We are continuing to offer as much ongoing support to Mrs Bilon as we can.  

"Our maternity services have been transformed over recent years. In discussion with Mrs Bilon we want to make sure every lesson is learned to keep improving our care."

A spokesman for the trust added: "This is incredibly sad, and we have given our unreserved condolences to Leanne Bilon for the loss of her babies.

"We have thoroughly reviewed our care and sadly have not found anything that would have altered the outcome. 

"We have shared all the findings of our investigations with Leanne Bilon, who we are continuing to try and support as best we can."

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