When Kelsey Wood woke with mild stomach pain three years ago, it was the first sign her dream of becoming a mum would end in tragedy hours later.
Kelsey and Aaron Wood's heartbreaking loss of their first-born child in 2019 is now at the centre of a $750,000 lawsuit against the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service for the couple's ongoing pain and suffering over their alleged treatment at Biloela Hospital.
"The level of care and service can't be as bad as what it was [for us, again]," Mr Wood said.
"We didn't even see a doctor."
Ms Wood was 26 weeks pregnant when she woke with stomach pain on August 28, 2019.
On her 27th birthday, her stomach pain was enough to cancel plans for a celebratory breakfast with her husband, but not bad enough to panic.
The couple said they decided to go to Biloela Hospital when Ms Wood's pain escalated during the morning.
"We saw some [midwives] who did some very brief, basic checks," Mr Wood said.
He said one of the midwives went to speak with the doctor and when they came back, told the couple it was likely ligament pain and they should go home and use a heat pack.
"On the way out to the car park, she sort of just stopped in her tracks because the pain was that much," Mr Wood said.
"As our first kid, we weren't 100 per cent aware of what was going on.
"We went home … and were home maybe for about 10, maybe 15 minutes.
"And yeah, she called my name out and I could tell by the sound of her voice that it wasn't good."
It turned out Ms Wood was in the final stages of pre-term labour.
She had just given birth, but the baby boy wasn't breathing.
Mr Wood said he began performing CPR on the baby until paramedics arrived.
Arlo, as his parents named him, was pronounced dead at the house, according to court documents.
In the claim filed to the District Court in Brisbane, it's alleged the Biloela Hospital breached its duty of care by failing to exercise reasonable care and skill in the delivery of medical care.
The document states a bedside doppler test noted a normal foetal heart rate and normal foetal movements before Ms Wood was discharged by the hospital staff.
But the claim alleges the hospital failed to undertake several other important tests and allowed Ms Wood to be discharged "when doing so placed her and the child at a foreseeable risk of injury and or death".
The Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service was contacted for comment, but a spokeswoman said the CQHHS could not comment as the matter was currently before the courts.
CQHHS has yet to file a defence to the Woods' claim.
'Ongoing loss and suffering'
Ms Wood did not wish to speak with the ABC, but her husband said the experience turned them upside down, even their basic personalities.
"[Kelsey] completely changed for about a year, it was quite worrying. I wasn't sure whether I was going to get her back," he said.
"She did seem to slowly return. But yeah, she has a bit of social anxiety now.
"She tried to return to work, but it didn't quite work … as she ended up hiding out the back quite a lot, just sort of doing dishes. She's ended up changing careers."
Mr Wood said he just "shut it all down" after taking a month off and then going back to work at the local mine.
"As she seems to have gotten better, I seem to have gotten worse," he said.
"I have since been diagnosed with reasonably severe anxiety … I'm on medication for that.
"We're both … sort of dealing."
Shine Lawyers senior solicitor Chloe Heterick said no amount of compensation could make up for the loss of a child.
"But we are determined to secure Aaron and Kelsey the best possible outcome to support them with their ongoing loss and suffering," she said.
"The birth of a first child should be an exciting milestone for a couple, but it became a tragedy for Aaron and Kelsey.
"As we review the evidence, we believe there were multiple instances where the hospital's care fell below the standard expected of experienced health practitioners.
"It is heartbreaking to think that, had Kelsey been provided with the level of care the hospital was duty-bound to provide, it is likely her baby would still be alive today."
Mr Wood said he wanted to make sure nothing like this would ever happen to another family.
"If you're dealing with a pregnant lady, 26 weeks, I thought for sure that we would have seen a doctor," he said.
