After the NHS announced that 20 maternity units may close due to staff shortages, Debbie, 34, from North Devon, speaks to Stylist about her experience of travelling around 50 miles from Barnstaple to Exeter to access adequate care while she was in labour.
At 39 weeks pregnant, Debbie*, 34, went into labour in Barnstaple. Having her first baby was scary enough, but with local maternity unit closures, she had to travel 50 miles to Exeter to access adequate maternity care.
“I was really upset,” she says. “I’d always assumed I’d give birth just 10 minutes from home. The thought of having to travel all the way to Exeter in labour was quite frightening, especially not knowing how quickly things might happen.”
She heard about the closures just over two months before, at 29 weeks. “We had some time to prepare, but how do you really plan for something like that when you’ve never been in labour before?
“I spent weeks worrying about when we’d need to leave – I didn’t want to go too early and be sent home, but I was terrified of leaving it too late,” she says. After she went into labour, her partner drove to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, which took them an hour and fifteen minutes. “That’s a long time when you’re having contractions.”
It’s not easy when you’re having contractions in a car
“I tried to concentrate on my breathing, but I was really nervous, and it’s not easy when you’re having contractions in a car,” she says. “My partner was trying to stay calm, but I think he was just as worried as me. I kept asking how much longer we had left.
“It definitely took some of the excitement away from those last few weeks. Instead of just looking forward to meeting our baby, we were constantly thinking about the journey and what might happen if things moved quickly.”
After making the journey there, Debbie had her baby. The next day, she had to take her newborn baby on the long journey home. “I was exhausted and sore, and suddenly we were driving over an hour with this tiny baby who was barely a day old,” she says. “As first-time parents, everything felt a bit overwhelming. I just wanted to get home and settle in together.
“It’s not just about an extra hour in the car. When you’re having a baby, you want to know help is nearby if you need it, especially when it’s your first.”
This is not a problem limited to North Devon; in rural Scotland, women have reported travelling over 100 miles to access maternity services. And this week, the NHS announced that out of 155 consultant-led maternity wards across England, 20 risk closure due to staff shortages and with rising numbers of C-sections – last year, around 45% of births were by C-section – many units have outdated equipment and infrastructure that pose a safety risk.
Childbirth is unpredictable
Catherine Mchomvu
NHS Alliance director Matthew Hopkins says: “Difficult decisions lie ahead, consolidating maternity services to support safer, more sustainable care.”
Catherine Mchomvu, CEO of Devon Antenatal Family Centre CIC, says she is worried about the prospective changes, particularly after seeing firsthand what’s happened in North Devon for women like Debbie.
“Childbirth is unpredictable. A completely straightforward pregnancy can become an emergency, and some labours progress incredibly quickly,” she says. “I’ve spoken to women with otherwise low-risk pregnancies who are considering inductions or planned caesareans purely because they’re frightened of travelling such long distances in labour. These interventions have their own risks, and it’s concerning that geography is influencing decisions about how women give birth.
“I’ve supported expectant families for 15 years, and I’ve seen how much anxiety losing local maternity services creates. Of course, maternity units need to be safe and properly staffed, but we can’t focus entirely on safety inside hospitals while overlooking the risks of getting women there.
You want to know help is nearby if you need it
Debbie
“Women deserve consistent support throughout pregnancy, birth and afterwards, rather than being passed between unfamiliar hospitals and teams,” she adds. “We need investment in recruitment, retention and sustainable services, not simply moving the problem elsewhere.”
If you’re worried about closing maternity units where you live, Mchomvu advises you speak to your midwife about your concerns and ensure you have a plan for travelling to the nearest hospital.
“Women shouldn’t have to carry the responsibility of compensating for gaps in maternity services,” she says. “They deserve to feel safe, supported and confident about giving birth, wherever they live.”
*Names have been changed
Images: Adobe