Pregnant women forced to give birth without support in hospital amid coronavirus outbreak

Exclusive: ‘The consequences and potential trauma of women giving birth alone go far beyond coronavirus,’ says spokesperson for maternity care charity

Pregnant women have had to give birth alone in hospital as NHS trusts face stretched resources in maternity units while they try to battle the rise in coronavirus cases.

Some trusts are limiting mothers to having one person present as stricter measures are brought in to cope with the Covid-19 outbreak, while others banned birthing partners entirely, only to allow them again after advice from leading healthcare professionals was issued over the weekend.

Frontline service providers warn pregnancy services are struggling under the pressure of the coronavirus outbreak, with some maternity units 30 or 40 per cent down on staff and substantial numbers of birth centres being turned into coronavirus units.

Home births are also being cancelled due to maternity units having staff off sick or self-isolating, as campaigners warn the secondary impact of the coronavirus could put pregnant women’s health at risk.

Maria Booker, of Birthrights, a maternity care charity, said some women are being asked to have inductions rather than caesarean sections so anaesthetists can be freed up to help on the frontline of the crisis.

She said: “A lot of trusts are saying women can only have one birth partner, some trusts have said they can’t have a birth partner or they might not be able to along the line. It is very concerning and very troubling. The consequences and potential trauma of women giving birth alone go far beyond coronavirus.

“Not having control of decisions during a birth experience can lead to trauma. Women can find it hard to breastfeed and bond with babies and may have flashbacks of that experience for many years after. A lot of trusts are shutting their birth centres – which are led by midwives with no doctors – and turning them into places for Covid-19 patients.

“There is a tendency in times like these to restrict women’s rights. We are keen not to see women’s rights completely overruled. Article 8 of the Human Rights Act gives women the right to choose the circumstances in which they give birth. It is a tough time for everyone, but pregnant women are especially anxious. Staff are trying to do their best for them.”

Ms Booker, who noted women are less likely to have C-sections or forceps deliveries when going into labour at home or in birth centres, raised concerns trusts were not properly “thinking through” decisions to close birth centres and argued the UK should follow the lead of the Netherlands, where hotels are being turned into birth centres.

NHS trusts such as Northwick Park in London and Doncaster had blocked women from having birthing partners present. However, after the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists both issued guidelines, they reversed the decision.

Dr Felicity Platt, president of the Association of Obstetric Anaesthetists, said: “Whenever safely possible, we are keen to have the partner in theatre while the mother is awake giving birth. It is important for the experience of the mother and the partners.

“As this whole situation unfolds, people are reacting to it. We are thinking on our feet and there are going to be times where we reverse decisions. We are fighting tooth and nail to maintain safe anaesthetic services for pregnant women.”

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has called for NHS leaders to ring-fence maternity services to safeguard pregnant women’s safety in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The warning comes as research by the RCM revealed that while almost one in 10 midwife posts were absent prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the shortage has now skyrocketed, with one in five midwife roles currently vacant.

Over a fifth of those polled reported local midwife-led maternity units have been closed, with more than a third of areas totally stopping home births.

Gill Walton, chief executive of the RCM, said: “While other areas of the health service can postpone and cancel procedures, there is still an ongoing need for maternity services. Women are still pregnant, still having babies, and they need the care and support of properly resourced maternity services. We have to ensure that midwives and maternity support workers are ring-fenced from any redeployment to ensure that women continue to receive safe care.

“What this survey shows is that coronavirus is exposing the gaps that already exist in maternity services. The shortage of midwives has doubled since the start of the outbreak, a situation which is only likely to worsen as the pandemic spreads further.”

Around eight out of 10 staff reported that routine face-to-face antenatal and postnatal appointments were no longer being carried out.

A spokesperson for London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “To reduce the risk of infection and protect mothers, babies and our staff from Covid-19, for four days we asked birth partners to stay away except in exceptional circumstances.

“We completely understand that this is difficult for new parents and our maternity team went above and beyond to ensure they were still part of this special occasion via video link. Now, like every other hospital we are following the expert guidance and allowing women to have one birth partner with them when they come to hospital.”

An NHS spokesperson said: “It is important that visiting is restricted to help stop the spread of coronavirus, but our guidance is absolutely clear that a specific exception should be made for birthing partners when a woman is in labour.”