A MOTHER has made a formal complaint to Colchester’s hospitals trust over a list of failings she says she faced after the birth of her baby.

Mary Cottis, 31, of Mortimer Gardens, Colchester, gave birth to daughter Mia via emergency Caesarean section on Mothers’ Day this year.

She claims Colchester General Hospital left her for hours without pain relief after the birth.

She is also unhappy it took medics three months to deal with bleeding after she was allowed home.

Her complaint was lodged with the trust’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service in May, and Miss Cottis is unhappy about the hospital’s response so far, since the letter it sent her was confusing and contradictory.

Miss Cottis said the problems started when she was transferred to the hospital’s Lexden ward a few hours after she gave birth.

Miss Cottis has a condition called neurocardiogenic syncope, which can slow her heart rate and even starve her brain of oxygen.

She said she had been having trouble breastfeeding, adding: “If I’m in a lot of pain my body shuts down.

“Earlier in the evening, my mum and dad had expressed concerns to a doctor, who said she would come back with a plan to deal with the pain, but later on, I had a blackout.”

Miss Cottis is also unhappy because a midwife wanted to discharge her within 48 hours of Mia’s birth, which would have been against National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

She said was only kept in for longer after raising her concerns with a doctor.

Finally, when she did eventually go home Miss Cottis continued to suffer heavy blood loss, while it took medics three months to put right.

A hospital spokesman said: “Our aim is to always be at our best for our patients, so we are sorry and disappointed Miss Cottis has concerns about various aspects of her care.

“We can confirm she has made a complaint, which we investigated in full and then responded to in writing.

“However, she still has some outstanding concerns and consequently we are in the process of arranging for her to meet the relevant staff to discuss these further.”