81-Year-Old Woman Reveals She Buried Her Baby Without Knowing His Br@in Had Been Removed, Blames Hospital

An 81-year-old woman, Jane Andrews, has shared the heartbreaking story of how her six-week-old baby died in January 1980—only for her to later discover that she buried him without knowing his br@in had been removed.

In an interview with Metro, Jane said the tragedy happened at Southampton General Hospital, where she gave birth to her son, John.

She explained that at the time of his burial, she believed her baby was whole, only to later learn the devastating truth.

“I thought John was all complete. But now I know I never buried him completely.

“i was deprived of my final goodbyes. That is hard to live with. I think it is disgusting and terrible.”

Jane shared that she was working as a shop assistant in Salisbury when she found out she was pregnant with John. His birth came after years of heartbreak, including the loss of her first son, Michael, who died shortly after being born in 1967.

Following Michael’s death, Jane suffered several miscarriages and reproductive health issues before becoming pregnant with John. Doctors later classified the pregnancy as high-risk after she had been prescribed the controversial drug DES, which she believes caused a life-threatening tumour.

As a result of complications, her waters broke early, and she was rushed to Southampton General Hospital for an emergency caesarean section in a bid to save her baby.

When Jane regained consciousness, John had been placed in the hospital’s special care baby unit.

“I got him christened as soon as I could because it wasn’t clear if he was going to make it.

“Each day I was allowed to go down and look at him in an incubator and I was allowed to just hold his hand.”

Tragically, John later died from pneumonia, prematurity, birth asphyxia, and respiratory distress syndrome, just as Jane was preparing to bring him home.

“They let me nurse him in a special baby unit for a few minutes, and they took him away.”

She said that was the last time she saw her son’s body, as she was not allowed to see him again before he was buried.

“I wanted to see him before the burial, but it was either I wasn’t allowed to or it was advisable not to. I always wondered why.”

An undertaker later told her it was because she would not want to see his body after a post-mortem examination.

At the time, Jane accepted the explanation and went on to train as a nurse, believing she was giving back to the NHS. However, over the years, questions continued to haunt her.

“I blamed myself all the time for John’s death. That is hard to live with when you have that 24/7 over your head.

“But the more I thought about it, when you lose somebody you are allowed to see them before they are buried and spend time with them.”

In 2001, Jane wrote to the hospital seeking answers. She said nothing could have prepared her for the response she received from the then Chief Executive of University Hospitals Southampton NHS Trust, David Moss.

He told her:

“You are probably aware that after John’s death in 1980, a post mortem examination was carried out at the request of the doctor to try and establish why he died.

“I can now confirm that John’s brain was removed as part of this examination.

“I can also confirm that after the post mortem investigations were completed, the hospital arranged for his brain to be respectfully disposed of by cremation.”

The letter added that John’s body had been kept in a special preserving fluid for up to eight weeks and included an unreserved apology, stating Jane was not informed at the time to avoid causing further distress.

“When I read the letter it made me feel worse.

“All the time I had been blaming myself. I feel that I was cheated from having him buried respectfully.

“I do not know what happened to his brain. If it was ‘disposed of properly’ why was it not put in an urn?”

The hospital also confirmed that “very small samples of tissue” were taken from other parts of John’s body, adding:

“I am sorry that you were not told about this at the time of your baby’s death.

“This was not because anyone was deliberately trying to withhold information.”

Jane’s granddaughter, Emma, also spoke about the impact the discovery had on their family.

“She had a newborn baby whose organ was ripped apart, and his mother had no chance of saying goodbye.

“It makes you wonder. Was this just her? Was this other people? Why did my nan have to live through this?

“If there’s one thing that I can go out and do for her now, it is reclaim some justice for her. She’s alive, and it’s her time to tell her tale.”

Emma, who has faced reproductive issues throughout her life, describes herself as a “DES granddaughter” due to the drug her grandmother was prescribed.

She is now part of a campaign seeking justice for those affected by DES and says serious questions remain unanswered about what role the drug may have played in John’s death.