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A midwife who appeared on One Born Every Minute was accused of having an affair with the partner of a pregnant woman she looked after. Joanne Lumsden, who was a midwife at Liverpool Women's Hospital, delivered and held the newborn baby after allegedly failing to declare a conflict of interest before the woman gave birth.

Back in 2018, the distraught mother, who did not wish to be named, said she was "haunted" by the idea of Lumsden holding her newborn daughter, adding that she had been through "the most horrific ordeal". Before the woman discovered she was pregnant, her partner went on holiday to Benidorm, where he reportedly met Lumsden. After returning home, the woman claimed he began acting "strangely" and frequently made excuses to avoid attending pregnancy scans and appointments.

The woman's partner even missed the birth of their child in 2017 - a planned Caesarean - which she believed was because he feared his affair with Lumsden would be exposed.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, the woman was convinced Lumsden had "taken matters into her own hands and made sure she was present that day".

The parents of the child are no longer together, while the woman said Lumsden caused the "destruction of a family".

She said: "This has amounted to the destruction of a family. Ms Lumsden chose to ignore a series of opportunities to declare the conflict of interest in the many months, weeks and days leading up to the birth of my daughter. Instead she took matters into her own hands and made sure she was present that day.

"As a woman, I am now left with a life-long memory of the midwife holding my new-born baby in her arms with the knowledge that she was having sexual relations with my baby's father during my pregnancy and being fully aware that I was under the care of her place of work."

The woman added: "This will haunt me for as long as I live. This woman held my baby in her arms knowing that she had engaged in recent sexual activity with her father."

The day after she gave birth, the woman claimed Lumsden allegedly revealed how she met her partner in Benidorm and recalled "rubbing suncream" on his back.

Lumsden is believed to have later called the woman and shared details of her affair with her partner, while she was still under the care of Liverpool Women's Hospital.

Liverpool Women's Hospital took disciplinary action against Lumsden after the mother submitted an open letter of complaint to the Women's Hospital trust.

At the time, a spokesman for the hospital said: "Whilst we cannot discuss the detail of individual cases due to patient confidentiality, we can confirm that disciplinary proceedings were undertaken by the Trust as a result of two members of staff's conduct.

"The Trust took this action immediately upon being made aware of the incident and an internal investigation was also conducted.

"The disciplinary process undertaken with the members of staff involved is now being dealt with by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

"The patient also made a formal complaint to the Trust and we have been in regular communication with them throughout the complaints process."

Lumsden no longer works at Liverpool Women's Hospital.