This article includes discussion on racial, medical negligence and micro-aggressions that some readers may find upsetting.

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Dee-Dee Bailey's (Channique Sterling-Brown) life was hanging in the balance in a distressing edition of Coronation Street.

Visiting Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton) and her poorly baby son Frankie in hospital, pregnant Dee-Dee buckled in pain, and told Lauren it was down to Braxton Hicks.

As doctors prepared to begin Frankie's bone marrow transplant, a concerned Lauren urged Dee-Dee to get checked in the maternity unit.

But once there, Dee-Dee's pain wasn't taken seriously as nurses were rushed off their feet, though her high blood pressure was noted.

Sent home to rest, Dee-Dee called friend Alya Nazir (Sair Khan), who insisted that she should never have been sent home.

When Dee-Dee's waters broke, she was taken back to hospital alongside dad Ed (Trevor Michael Georges), and brothers James (Jason Callender) and Michael (Ryan Russell).

Dee-Dee was left in agony without a bed in the maternity unit, with a white midwife making a patronising, micro-aggressive comment that "women like you are built for this".

Ed was shocked, approaching a Black midwife who sprung into action as a doctor finally arrived on the scene to diagnose Dee-Dee with pre-eclampsia.

Dee-Dee was informed that the baby had to come out immediately, and while things seemed calmer after the event, Dee-Dee's complaints that she still felt very unwell were dismissed by a white nurse.

The same staff member accused her of being aggressive when Dee-Dee snapped that, contrary to instructions, she would not be having skin-to-skin contact with her baby girl.

This honour went to James, who would be adopting the child with his partner Danny Tomlinson (Dylan Brady).

But the family's joy was disrupted when Dee-Dee fell unconscious amid the discovery that she was bleeding heavily - something she had already hinted at.

Dee-Dee had suffered a haemorrhage after her symptoms were consistently ignored, and her loved ones waited in fear as she underwent surgery.

As the Baileys were dismissed when asking for answers, viewers were left wondering if Dee-Dee will survive, but official spoilers have shed light on how her condition could have been avoided.

For support on Dee-Dee's story, you can visit Birthrights, Motivational Mums Club and FivexMore.

Read more:

Visit our dedicated Coronation Street page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.

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Authors

Laura Denby
Laura DenbyFreelance Writer

Laura Denby is a Freelance Soaps writer covering all the latest news in the Dales, Cobbles and East End for Radio Times. She's a soaps nerd with a love for comedy drama, and has also written for Digital Spy, Metro UK and Yahoo UK.

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