A MOTHER says she "seriously considered killing" herself after missing her stillborn daughter's funeral because of a hospital mix-up.

Lisa Fenton is planning to sue Darent Valley Hospital, Dartford, because of the error and problems she says she experienced during her pregnancy.

She wanted the chance to say goodbye to her daughter, Alicia Meg, who was born at 13 weeks with heart defects after Mrs Fenton had an induced miscarriage.

Together with her mother, Mrs Fenton attended a crematorium service which she thought was for Alicia on December 20, 2005.

But four weeks later she got a call from the hospital chaplain who asked why she was not at the funeral service for her baby.

She rang the hospital which apologised for the mistake and said they had given her the wrong date and she had gone to the wrong funeral.

Mrs Fenton, who has three other children, said that she had months of counselling after the ordeal and that she contemplated suicide.

She said: "It has had a serious effect on my life.

"To think that I couldn't be there for her when she was cremated is the worse thing.

"I had so much counselling and I have to admit that I seriously considered killing myself."

The 39-year-old added: "To think we grieved at the wrong funeral and never got to attend Alicia's funeral service is heart-wrenching for us all."

"Hospitals need to have a better understanding of what women go through when giving birth to babies they know are not going to survive.

"I also wonder if any other parent has grieved at the wrong funeral.

"I wouldn't wish that emotional suffering on anyone."

A spokesman for the Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust said: "We have offered our sincere apologies to Mrs Fenton for providing the incorrect date for her baby's funeral. We have since thoroughly reviewed our procedures and introduced new systems to minimise the risk of this happening in the future."