Samantha Courtney, 43, of Harwich says medics repeatedly tried to feed her new-born baby Piper even though she had been born with a condition which meant she could not swallow safely.
Piper also had a second condition which caused a gap between her upper and lower oesophagus.
It meant food and fluid could not reach her stomach, and would pass directly onto her lungs.
Ms Courtney says Piper was left with a four inch scar because she had to have her chest drained after medics continued to feed her not realising that the milk and stomach acid were going into her lungs.
Law firm FBC Manby Bowdler said the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust has admitted failing to care for Piper properly and paid undisclosed compensation after accepting several breaches of duty.
Ms Courtney says the ordeal could have been prevented with one simple scan during pregnancy.
She said: “I was suffering from polyhydramnios, which is a build-up of too much amniotic fluid.
“One of the reasons this can occur is that the baby is not swallowing amniotic fluid due to digestive issues.
“At 30 weeks I was told it could be something or nothing. It turns out it was something.”
Samantha with her new-born (Image: Public) “One easy scan would have picked it up and meant Piper would have been born in a specialist unit at Addenbrooke’s Hospital rather than at Broomfield Hospital.
“Piper was not seen by a paediatrician quickly enough, she was being fed throughout her first day even though it made her turn blue and choke.
“Piper was taken away from me at two days old for emergency surgery. Had we been made aware of her condition, she would have been born in the right place and had a tube fitted immediately.”
Piper, now three, will live with the condition for the rest of her life (Image: Public) Piper, now three, spent two months recovering from surgery to repair her trachea and oesophagus at Addenbrookes and will live with the condition for life, requiring careful eating and avoiding certain foods.
Both conditions Piper was born with, oesophageal atresia and trachea-oesophageal fistula, occur in as many as 1 in 2,500 to 4,000 births, yet Ms Courtney believes there’s widespread lack of knowledge about them.
Michael Portman-Hann from law firm FBC Manby Bowdler, who supported their case, said he’s investigating similar cases in other trusts, calling it “clearly a widespread issue” requiring urgent NHS attention.
Denise Townsend, deputy chief nurse for Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We sincerely apologise that the level of care received by Piper was not to the standard she and her family should have expected.
“As her case is still ongoing legally, we are unable to make further comment at this time.”