A mother who suffered catastrophic injuries while giving birth at a Leeds hospital has spoken of her relief at a senior midwife’s appointment to chair a major inquiry.

Rachel Cooper, 43, suffered a third degree tear while giving birth to her son at Leeds General Infirmary in 2018.

The tear went undetected for days after her son’s delivery and it was only when she complained she was struggling with continence issues that it was discovered.

Ms Cooper, a charity worker who lives in North Leeds, ended up requiring a colostomy and now lives with a stoma bag.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting leaves after attending a Cabinet meeting in Downing Street, London. Picture date: Tuesday March 3, 2026.

placeholder image — Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting leaves after attending a Cabinet meeting in Downing Street, London. Picture date: Tuesday March 3, 2026.

She is unable to have more children and will live with the stoma bag for the rest of her life.

Ms Cooper has joined the campaigning group made up of bereaved and harmed families who have pressured the Government to review deaths and injuries in Leeds’ maternity units.

Earlier this week, it was revealed Donna Ockenden, a senior midwife, will chair the inquiry following a u-turn from Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

Ms Cooper said: “The day after my son’s birth, I discovered that I was incontinent.

“It felt quite extreme, but when I spoke to a midwife on the front desk, I was just told to go back to bed on the ward.

“I felt increasingly anxious, but the response was defensive. It felt like the attitude was ‘who was I to say there was a problem?’

“It cut me down to size pretty quickly, but I knew in my heart that I knew my own body.”

Eventually Ms Cooper was re-examined and found to have a third-degree tear, which affects just three per cent of birthing mothers and can cause long term continence issues.

Because the tear wasn’t identified immediately, repair was much harder.

She said: “It was decided I would have a colostomy, and that I’d need a stoma bag. And that is what I will have for the rest of my life.

“When I first went in, I was told it shouldn’t happened. But then the narrative shifted to ‘well it can be missed.’

“I wouldn’t be in a position to have more children. I have pelvic pain, and I could be at risk of urinary incontinence. I can’t go through that, and I want to be there for the child I have got.”

Speaking of Donna Ockenden’s appointment, Ms Cooper said: “I feel really pleased we’ve been listened to.

"It’s a testament to the campaigning group, and I’m really proud of them.”

The scope of the inquiry will look at both harm done to children and to mothers, although its full terms have yet to be set out.

Writing in the Yorkshire Post, Wes Streeting said: “It is clear that the events that happened in Leeds were significant and prolonged.

“This review will examine years of cases, including stillbirths, neonatal deaths and serious injuries.

“It will look not only at what happened in individual cases, but also at the culture, leadership and accountability within the trust, including whether there were failures of openness and transparency when things went wrong.”

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