A DIABETIC mother-of-three who gave birth on her living room floor says she was told by a hospital to stay at home.

Amanda Antrobus, of Wood Street, Crewe, went into labour with her third child, Ben, and rang Leighton Hospital to let them know she was coming in.

However, she said she was told on the phone to stay at home as the labour was not advanced enough, despite her contractions being a minute apart.

Leighton Hospital says appropriate advice was given.

Mrs Antrobus, 26, who also has a nine-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl, said: 'The person on the phone said I did not sound like I was in labour and if I came in no one would have examined me. They said I would be sent back home.

'I was worried. I am diabetic and was told by my nurse to make sure I went to hospital in plenty of time so I could be put on a glucose drip.

'The contractions got worse and worse. They were only a minute apart but when I phoned again I was told the same thing.

'I was screaming down the phone and had to stop talking because of the pain.'

Amanda's husband Michael decided to phone for an ambulance. When it arrived 15 minutes later her waters had broken, with no time to take her to the hospital.

She said: 'The paramedics said there was no time to get me to Leighton and that I would have to give birth at home. Two midwives came to the house and after two pushes Ben was out.'

Mother and son were taken to the hospital and kept in over night.

Because of Mrs Antrobus' diabetes, Ben's blood sugar was very low and his temperature had dropped.

She added: 'He should have been put straight into an incubator and that's why I should have been in hospital. They put me and my little boy at risk. It should not have happened the way it did.'

A Leighton Hospital spokesman said: 'The trust's first concern is to provide the best possible care for patients and it is concerned by any report of dissatisfaction with the services it provides. In this particular case, the trust is confident that the appropriate advice was given.'