A mother whose baby boy was in the neonatal ward during Lucy Letby’s murderous attack said she felt “lucky but guilty” that they took their son home when “other families didn’t.”
The 35-year-old, who asked not to be named, told the Mail she had a “traumatic” delivery and her son was born without breathing in September 2015.
He spent four days in intensive care and although Letby was never his assigned nurse, she was often seen in his nursery.
The mum, who works in retail, told the Mail she and her husband, 42, were interviewed by police, who told her that Letby had attacked other babies in the days before and after their son was admitted.
Letby was convicted of the attempted murder of two different baby girls, five times in September 2015.
Felicity Whitfield was baptized as an emergency after suffering a sudden lung collapse in the neonatal ward. She recovered after being transferred to another hospital
Between June 2015 and June 2016, Letby murdered five boys and two girls
“I still feel guilty about that — happy that nothing happened to him, but also guilty,” the mother said.
“Nothing happened to our child, thank God, but it could have been.
“We were lucky, we got to take our baby home. Many other families didn’t.’
She said she recognized Letby immediately after she was arrested when her photo appeared in newspapers and on television.
“All we know about the police is that she shouldn’t have been in his room,” she added.
“Apparently Letby wasn’t supposed to look after him, but she was in there. That’s all we know. When I went to see him, she was there.
“She said hello, but we weren’t really having a conversation. My husband remembers she just smiled.
“It was really traumatic reading the lawsuits and knowing that she was trying to kill babies on the days on either side (from when he was born). Following the case has flooded it all again.”
Chester’s mother said she was furious with hospital staff for letting Letby work unchecked after suspicions were raised about her.
“I’m angry that people seemed to know about it and nothing was done about it,” she added.
“The hospital must have known that something was wrong, that something wasn’t right. It went on for so long.
A corridor within the neonatal ward at Countess of Chester Hospital, where Letby worked
“The whole birthing experience was terrible for me. There was negligence, they were understaffed.
“I waited seven days to be induced – eleven and a half days after he was due. I ended up having a C-section and was put to sleep so I didn’t see my baby being born. It was very traumatic.
‘My son was not breathing at birth and was ill. I was sick. I got an infection from the cesarean section. I was not given any medication, cannulas were routed incorrectly. It was horrible.
“Because of what happened, my husband and I waited six years to have another baby.”
Another couple, whose premature baby girl collapsed catastrophically three days after birth in November 2013, has also called the police to investigate their daughter’s case.
Mike and Vicky Whitfield said there was “reason and rationale” for going back before June 2015. Police have confirmed they plan to review the entire “footprint” of Letby’s career, dating back to her training in 2011.
Their daughter, Felicity, was baptized as an emergency after suffering a sudden lung collapse in the neonatal ward. She recovered after being transferred to another hospital and is now a healthy nine-year-old.
Mr Whitfield, 43, from Chester, said: ‘We believe there is reason and rationale to look beyond 2015, they (the police) will go back.
“We think it’s been going on since 2010. You don’t go from nothing to this, there is a build-up.’
Felicity Whitfield was born prematurely in November 2013 and nearly died
Another mother whose son was cared for by Letby for eight weeks after being born ten weeks early to the Countess also told the Mail she was “struck sick” when Letby was arrested.
“She was very sweet to us,” said the 50-year-old. “When I heard the news, I felt sick. It makes you think what if something had happened to him.’
Another mother of a premature baby boy, whose breathing tube became clogged while in Letby’s care in 2012, not long after she qualified, also said she and her husband felt they had a “lucky escape” had had.
The 41-year-old told the Mail: ‘As soon as I saw the photos of the nurse in the papers I recognized her as the woman who was looking after my son.
“She took care of him one-on-one for most of the eight weeks we were in the hospital — and during that time he suffered a collapsed lung and then a blocked breathing tube.
“Although our son was very premature, the doctors said from the start that he had a good set of lungs.
‘We couldn’t understand what was going on (when the baby got sick) and when we asked her (Letby) how the tube got blocked she replied ‘It just happens sometimes’.
“We feel like we had a lucky escape. Looking back, it seems a bit surprising that such a newly qualified member of staff could be left to care one-on-one for premature babies, but at the time we weren’t worried.
Lucy Letby seemed a little reserved, but no alarm bells were ringing about the care she provided. We just thought she was a very career-driven person.”