Mum’s heartbreak as hospital handed unsuitable child to dad after stillbirth tragedy
Lindsay Richardson, 40, from Glasgow gave birth to her stillborn son Charlie at 21 weeks, but a devastating NHS mix-up saw her ex-partner handed the wrong baby’s body
Lindsay Richardson shared her heartbreak(Image: Supplied)
A Scottish woman has revealed the heartbreaking moment a midwife gave her former partner the wrong baby following her devastating stillbirth. Lindsay Richardson, from Glasgow, went into premature labour on December 6, 2019, delivering her stillborn son Charlie at just under 21 weeks at the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital.
Following the birth, Lindsay – then aged 34 – was rushed to theatre after experiencing a serious haemorrhage when her placenta wouldn’t deliver naturally. Surgeons had to remove it whilst Charlie’s father John was left dreading the worst after medics warned Lindsay’s situation was “touch and go”.
During Lindsay’s operation, John requested time with his baby boy, who had been placed in a secure neighbouring room. Moments later, a midwife brought him an infant – but John instantly voiced doubts and queried whether the baby was truly his son, Charlie.
Staff provided reassurance, telling him that “no other baby died on the ward” that day. Speaking to GlasgowLive, Lindsay explained the infant given to John looked much younger than Charlie and didn’t possess the developed characteristics of their son, who she described as having “eyebrows, fingernails and toes”.
“He had my nose,” she recalled. John held and mourned the baby for nearly an hour before staff “rushed in” and took the child from his arms.
Midwives subsequently apologised and confirmed the infant wasn’t Charlie. Lindsay revealed the blunder intensified the anguish of an already heartbreaking delivery and would eternally “haunt” both herself and John.
The 40-year-old administrative worker explained: “This little baby they handed over looked nothing like Charlie, I have no idea how they managed to mix it up. When John raised concerns they just dismissed him, he trusted them and then grieved this little baby for some length of time.”
A 2020 inquiry discovered no identity verification was undertaken when a midwife collected Charlie, with the staff member having “incorrectly assumed” the infant was him. The child given to John was awaiting transportation to the mortuary and had been positioned in the identical secure area as Charlie, where the mistake took place.
Lindsay revealed the episode left her petrified of being parted from her son throughout her hospital admission.
She added: “During the two days spent in hospital recovering, I would wheel Charlie’s cot everywhere I went, even to the toilet, I didn’t want my eyes off him. It’s just fortunate the mix-up was discovered before both babies were taken to the mortuary.
“It destroyed my faith in the NHS.”
The pair subsequently split up, with Lindsay explaining the ordeal left her mental wellbeing “crippled”.
In 2021, Lindsay and her present partner conceived, but she tragically experienced another pregnancy loss. She stated she continues to be “desperate” to become a mum but now harbours “serious anxieties” regarding the standard of treatment in Glasgow following Charlie’s delivery.
After spending several days with their son, Lindsay and John decided to have Charlie cremated, his ashes scattered alongside Lindsay’s parents. H
On December 6, 2025, balloons, teddies, flowers and cards adorned Charlie’s memorial to commemorate what would have been his sixth birthday.
Lindsay said: “I always wonder what could have been.”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde conducted an investigation into the incident, sharing its findings with Lindsay and John. The review concluded that the mix-up was an “avoidable event”, pointing to a lack of identification procedures and a routine practice of not checking babies before removing them from patient rooms.
Two recommendations were made and an apology was extended to the family.
A spokesperson for NHSGGC stated: “We recognise that baby loss is a deeply painful and distressing experience, and our heartfelt condolences remain with John and Lindsay.
“We are profoundly sorry that this difficult incident in 2019 occurred and apologise again to the family for the upset this caused.
“Following the incident, a Significant Clinical Incident (SCI) Review was carried out. This comprehensive review led to strengthened processes across all NHSGGC maternity sites, with new staff guidance introduced to help ensure that nothing like this can happen again.”
