Hospital delay leaves six-year-old autistic girl convinced she is pregnant

While in the hospital, the Belfast child became convinced that she was pregnant and that she was in the hospital to have a baby

The mother of a six-year-old East Belfast child with a severe learning disability and who has been suffering with constipation for eight months has said that she’s been left in limbo regarding the future of her child’s treatment.

Kaia, who has autism and is nonverbal, was admitted to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children the week before Easter and initially spent nine weeks in the hospital, which her mother, Rihannaa Gough, described as “nine weeks of hell”.

Rihannaa told Belfast Live that after those nine weeks, Kaia was discharged in the hope that being in her own surroundings would make her more comfortable.

“They were having NDT meetings, and then twelve hours later, the plan wasn’t going ahead. They tried enemas, suppositories and putting stuff in her drinks as she doesn’t take oral medication,” she explained.

“Due to the trauma of being there for that long, she will now only wear her Princess Peach dress as it is what she feels most comfortable in, and she thinks nobody can get at her when she is wearing it.

“We were initially discharged in the middle of June with no further plan. She was to be seen twice a week, and they thought that being at home would have got her opening her bowels, but she was just very stressed out in the setting she was in.”

Rihannaa explained that within four weeks of being discharged, Kaia’s bowel had stretched from two centimetres to eight centimetres, which resulted in her being readmitted to hospital.

“They told us that they would admit her on Thursday, and half two came and went without a phone call. They then said that they wouldn’t admit her until Monday, but she couldn’t eat, she couldn’t go to the toilet, and she was in absolute pain, so I brought her to A&E, where she spent a further two weeks in hospital without any resolution.

“They decided to do a manual evacuation, but because there is so much poo remaining around her ribs and stuff, the manual evacuation didn’t work because they couldn’t reach it. They then tried to insert an NG tube, but she had it in six times, and she kept pulling it out because of sensory issues.

“The next option was either a PEG or a stoma, and I had discussed what I thought would work best for her with aftercare. On the Friday morning, we were to have a meeting, but the surgeon didn’t turn up, and instead, we were discharged and told we would have to make an outpatient appointment.”

Rhiannaa told us that while in the hospital, six-year-old Kaia became convinced that she was pregnant and that she was in the hospital to have a baby, which caused her mother great concern.

“Kaia has a great understanding; she just can’t communicate verbally, and due to the symptoms she had of feeling sick, being swollen, and not being able to eat, she is convinced that she is pregnant.

“While she was in the hospital, she had been watching things, and while it is all child-friendly, she was convinced that she was there to give birth. We tried to explain to her that she was just there because she couldn’t go to the toilet, but that made her stressed.

“She puts things up her top and is constantly saying ‘baby’. She has been watching videos about morning sickness, which I am assuming must be because she thinks that, because she is sick, that is what she is having. I expressed my concerns to a psychologist and was told that it is just a fantasy. I am aware, yes, that some children do love babies and whatever, but they don’t think that they are in a hospital to give birth.”

A spokesperson for the Belfast Trust said: “Belfast Trust apologises for the distress experienced by Kaia and her family. The Trust understands the frustration and anxiety felt by families who have children and young people awaiting procedures, treatment or surgery.

“Kaia was discharged with medication to manage her condition. The Trust is trying to expedite an appointment for Kaia to assess her suitability for a PEG.

“Each case is constantly assessed by the specialist team at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children and dealt with as quickly as possible based on clinical priority and chronological order.”

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