Mother of baby fighting for life left 'shocked' at being denied hospital meals as she was not breastfeeding

A first-time mother was denied a hot meal by an NHS hospital despite being at the bedside of her newborn baby who was fighting for her life because she was not breastfeeding.

Sophie Price, 22, was stunned when staff refused to give her a meal while her daughter Florence, who she had given birth to at the same hospital just five days previously, was being treated on a paediatric ward at Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran, Torfaen.

Ms Price, from Newport, was told that she was no longer classed as a patient at the hospital as she was not breastfeeding, so would not be provided with any meals.

She and her family instead shelled out more than £1,000 on food from the hospital canteen and takeaways as they remained at Florence's bedside throughout her three-week hospital stay.

'It was just an awful experience. I just needed a hot meal to keep going for my daughter,' she told the BBC. She has now launched a campaign against the 'discriminatory' policy.

Ms Price and her husband Ryli, 23, had only been at home with Florence for 24 hours following her birth in March when she began struggling to breathe.

She started making 'harsh grunting sounds', which her panicked parents described as sounding like 'a death rattle'.

Rushing to hospital, Ms Price told how she ran into A&E screaming 'she's not breathing', and praised emergency staff whose quick intervention saved Florence's life.

Sophie Price's daughter, Florence, was being treated on a paediatric ward at Grange University Hospital after struggling to breathe

Ms Price did not leave Florence's bedside during her three-week stay in hospital

The infant was diagnosed with bronchiolitis, rhinoviruses and a blood infection, with her lungs not able to operate properly on their own.

Florence was admitted and given urgent breathing support with the help of a CPAP machine, and her parents were told she could be put into a coma at any time.

Ms Price remained at her bedside throughout, despite still being in pain after having to have her hip put back in place after childbirth.

Both her hips dislocated while giving birth, and her feet were so swollen during her daughter's treatment that she couldn't walk down the corridor.

She said that at one point she hadn't eaten in 28 hours, but when a food trolley was brought round to the ward, staff asked if she was breastfeeding.

Ms Price explained that Florence was on formula as she had been diagnosed with jaundice and did not take to breastmilk after the first 24 hours.

The hospital worker then informed the 'shocked' Ms Price, already 'disappointed that she could not breastfeed, that she was not eligible to be given any food.

With Mr Price's paternity leave coming to an end, his wife was left waiting for relatives to finish work for the day to bring food and supplies while she remained with their daughter around the clock.

Florence was diagnosed with bronchiolitis, rhinoviruses and a blood infection

Ms Price and her husband Ryli, 23, spent £1,000 on canteen food and takeaways during Florence's stay in hospital

To make matters worse, Ms Price told how she was informed by staff she would have to bring in formula herself to feed Florence, despite Aneurin Bevan Health Board saying its policy is to provide this 'as needed'.

After her mother got in touch with the hospital, staff started providing the family formula.

As Florence was being treated on a paediatric rather than a maternity ward, hospital policy is only to provide the child with food unless the mother is breastfeeding, as feeding her is then seen as directly supporting the baby's nutrition.

On a maternity ward, both mothers and babies are provided with meals.

But Ms Price says the policy is 'outdated' and discriminatory towards mothers using formula who are 'doing their very best in difficult circumstances'.

She has launched a petition calling for all mothers with babies in hospital care to be provided with meals, regardless of how their children are fed.

Ms Price also praised hospital staff for all the care they gave to Florence.

An Aneurin Bevan Health Board spokesman said: 'We are sorry to hear about Sophie's experience while staying with her child at The Grange University Hospital.

'We would like to thank her for taking the time to share her feedback and for her kind comments about the excellent care her baby received from our staff. We understand how difficult and stressful it can be for parents when their child is in hospital.

'Where individuals are unable to access the hospital canteen, have limited family or social support, or are unable to leave their child's bedside, wards can provide a small selection of basic food items and refreshments to help meet immediate needs.

'In our paediatric unit, meals are usually provided to breastfeeding mothers because this directly supports their baby's feeding and nutrition. For babies who are formula fed, formula is provided as needed. Although this is our Standard Operating Procedure, ward teams can also look at individual circumstances and offer additional support where appropriate.

'In our maternity wards, mothers are patients in their own right and therefore receive meals as part of their care - whether breastfeeding or not.

'We also recognise that some families may face additional challenges during a child's admission. Where parents are unable to access the hospital canteen, have limited support, or are unable to leave their child's bedside, ward teams can provide a selection of basic food items and refreshments to help meet immediate needs.

'Parents can also access a discounted hospital meal through a ward voucher scheme and where a family is experiencing financial hardship, support can be discussed with the ward team.

'Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis to ensure help is provided fairly and appropriately, taking account of the family's circumstances and the needs of the child.

'We are committed to supporting families throughout their child's stay and encourage anyone experiencing difficulties to speak to the ward team so that appropriate support can be explored.'

Got a story? Email: elizabeth.haigh@dailymail.co.uk

Poundland could disappear from the High Street within days as Andy Burnham asks questions over how its owners handled a sales process.

Thousands of nervous staff are waiting to hear what will happen to the discount retailer after it filed a notice to appoint administrators with the High Court today.

This will give the business, bought by US investment firm Gordon Brothers for less than £1 last year, some breathing room – ten days – to find a rescue deal. AlixPartners is poised to take over a potential insolvency process.

But the Poundland brand and its 600 shops will not be sold as a whole, leading to a carve-up of the 36-year old retailer, meaning jobs are at risk at any shops that are not bought.

And on Thursday night, the Prime Minister said he is ready to demand answers from owners amid a 'deeply worrying time' for staff and their families.

Burnham told The Telegraph: 'We want to see jobs protected. If there was a potential owner to avoid this that hasn’t been accepted, then the Business Secretary and I want to know why that is the case.'

Battle for survival: The fate of Poundland's near 12,000 staff hangs in the balance.

It would mark the biggest high street collapse since Debenhams closed its doors in 2021 with the loss of 12,000 jobs.

Job losses could hit 600 shops and a distribution centre in Makerfield, Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s constituency, which employs around 270 people.

Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds also said he was ‘very much concerned’ and would push for answers as workers and bosses seethe over its failure to find a buyer.

He told The Telegraph: ‘If it is true that it was not necessary to put the business into administration then the present owners will have to account for that.’

Why has Poundland struggled?

Chains like Poundland are battling shoppers with constrained budgets while costs, such as employing people, have increased – following Government moves to hike wages and employer National Insurance contributions. Savvier shoppers are looking for cheaper online alternatives, including Amazon, Temu and TikTok Shop.

Former owners, the Warsaw-listed Pepco Group, made some wrong moves that did not go down well with its customers, including putting Pepco clothing in its shops.

Its most recent woes stem back to last year, when it narrowly avoided collapsing into administration. The chain was sold in June 2025 to US firm Gordon Brothers for a nominal €1 amid 'challenging trading conditions'.

By November 2025, around 100 Poundland shops had been shut or earmarked for closure. Two months later, as part of its radical turnaround plan, Poundland had shut 149 stores with 2,200 job losses.

But this year, Poundland bosses insisted it was turning a corner, pointing to like-for-like sales growth of 3.3 per cent in the three months to September 26.

Poundland's managing director Barry Williams said earlier this month: 'Our recovery plan is working, thanks to our investment in simple low pricing and new ranges, powered by our new in-house teams.'

Why is there a dispute between Poundland’s owners and its bosses?

Both shop workers’ union Usdaw and Poundland’s management have accused Gordon Brothers of mishandling a sales process, which it kicked off at the beginning of September.

The union met with the minister for the future of work, Kate Dearden, on Wednesday, amid warnings of what would be the biggest High Street collapse in years.

Three directors, appointed less than a fortnight ago, this week walked out following a dramatic dispute with owners Gordon Brothers.

Hours later the retailer’s management hit out at the owners, calling the process ‘unexpected, unwanted and avoidable’.

Government adviser David Bickerton is set to ask ‘fairly basic questions of senior people around Poundland’ in order to ‘establish what the situation is,’ on behalf of the business secretary, the Financial Times reported.

What does a notice to appoint administrators mean?

‘Filing a notice of intention isn’t administration itself,’ explains Julie Palmer, managing partner at real estate advisory group BTG.

Instead, it effectively keeps the wolves from the door for up to ten business days of protection and helps the firm preserve cash.

She added: ‘If an appointment follows, the administrators take control of the company from the directors. Their first duty is to try to rescue it as a going concern.

'If that isn’t possible, they aim for a better result for creditors than liquidation would give. In practice that usually means a sale, either of the whole business or in parts. For staff and customers, stores normally keep trading while that happens, but the risk is that the business is broken up, with stronger stores sold and weaker ones closed.’

Who could buy the shops?

Owner Gordon Brothers rejected a takeover offer from Irish real estate firm Martin Property Group – despite management and unions arguing this was the best deal on the table.

This would have been for the whole business, including its brand and full store estate.

But now it seems like other major retailers, especially those with grand expansion plans, could pick up some shops from Poundland.

The owner of The Range, Homebase and Wilko – known as Britain’s ‘Del Boy Billionaire’ – is thought to be interested. Chris Dawson, 74, who runs CDS Superstores, acquired the Wilko brand out of administration in 2023.

Dawson got his nickname, the 'Del Boy billionaire', via the press as a reference to his yellow Lamborghini Urus, which has a personalised number plate 'DE11 BOY', a homage to the character Del Boy Trotter from the classic TV show Only Fools and Horses.

Dawson started his career as a market trader, before founding The Range and scaling it to a major high street chain. He has since acquired Wilko and Homebase out of administration.

Chris Dawson, 74, runs CDS Superstores, which owns The Range, Homebase and Wilko

Poundstretcher owner Fortress is also understood to be looking at buying shops. The rival discount retailer runs more than 300 shops in the UK.

Supermarket Lidl also hopes to be able to snap up some of its stores if the retailer fails to sell the whole company. The discounter is pushing ahead with a major expansion mission.

TG Jones owner is also understood to be interested in buying parts of the Poundland business.

The private equity group owns Britain's WH Smith shops, now known as TG Jones stores and previously bought ailing accessories chain Claire's, Hobbycraft and The Original Factory Shop.

All Claire's standalone shops in the UK and Ireland stopped trading earlier this year after its financial woes saw it fall into administration twice in a year.

Are shops open and will staff be paid?

Poundland shops are currently open and operating business as usual.

But Poundland's managing director Barry Williams wrote a letter to around 12,000, accusing the retailer’s owner of limiting the chain's access to funding.

This has effectively prevented bosses from making routine payments, with suppliers now worried they will not be paid on time this week, according to Sky News.

But sources close to the crisis talks insisted that this should not prevent staff from being paid at the end of the month.

Williams told staff: 'I'm disappointed to have to tell you that Gordon Brothers have given instructions that restricts our access to funds that we would, in normal circumstances expect to access fully under our existing loan agreement.'

Gordon Brothers are accused of breaching the terms of an asset-based lending facility by failing to submit a budget to the shareholders on time despite an agreed grace period – with the business now outperforming those forecasts, Sky News reported.

Julie Palmer, managing partner at real estate advisory group BTG, says that in this situation, ‘existing commitments such as payroll and supplier invoices can still be met from cash already available‘.

But bosses cannot ‘draw further funds to cover anything beyond that,’ she says, which poses a problem as retailers typically draw from these loans in the autumn to buy Christmas stock - before repaying from festive sales in December and January.

She added: ‘If a lender has concerns about longer-term viability, it may simply be unwilling to increase its exposure by funding that stock build, particularly when it can’t be sure who will own the business, or what shape it will be in, by the time the money needs to come back.

‘That leaves management with very little room to manoeuvre. It limits their ability to buy stock or take on new commitments, and puts directors in a difficult position, because they must be confident the company can meet its liabilities before taking on new ones. Once credit insurers pull back and suppliers start asking for payment up front, the squeeze tightens quickly.’