More birthing options needed, Gloucestershire mother says

Charlotte, whose son River is now five weeks old, said not knowing where she was going to give birth was "anxiety inducing"

A new mum in Gloucestershire has said it is crucial that the county's midwife-led birthing units remain open.

Charlotte Chivers, from Stroud, had planned to give birth at Gloucester Birth Unit (GBU), but while she was in labour discovered it was closed.

Some maternity services in the county were previously reduced due to staff shortages.

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it aimed to provide as much choice as possible.

However, it said it was balancing safe staffing levels, a problem it said was happening nationally.

"On occasion, this means relocating staff from our Gloucester Birth Unit downstairs to the main delivery suite," the trust said.

It added that openings and closures of the GBU were "very fluid" and "may not be for a full day, but rather based on hours" and the requirements of those giving birth.

Ms Chivers, whose son River is now five weeks old, said she had "studied lots of different approaches to giving birth" during her pregnancy.

Hoping for a birth pool and minimal intervention, Ms Chivers said she settled on GBU after feeling anxious in hospital settings, visiting the unit and even doing a practise drive to and from the site.

She said they "understood that birth plans don't often go to plan in terms of the medical side of things" but "thought the last thing that would happen is that we'd have to go to a different location".

Ms Chivers said: "It's really important that everyone has the best care possible and ideally women are able to give birth where they want to"

Ms Chivers said she found out the GBU was closed after going into labour at 03:00.

"I felt some of my waters break and then my contractions started. My partner called up the maternity number and explained we're hoping to go to a Gloucester mid-wife led unit.

"The response he received was 'oh, they're closed'.

"When you've got contractions going on and having your first ever baby - it's quite anxiety inducing and I just thought 'where are we going to have this baby?'," she added.

Ms Chivers said they then had to decide quickly on which of the two options to go with, Stroud Maternity Unit (SMU) or the delivery suite at Gloucester Royal Hospital (GRH).

'Mistakes will be made'

Ms Chivers then chose to go to SMU, where postnatal beds are currently closed, before being sent to GRH after a "very long labour".

She said while the care she received was "incredible", she could tell the midwives were under pressure and their caseloads were "perhaps too high for them to manage".

"The midwives were just constantly running around trying to get everything done. There were times where I had to remind them that I was due some more pain relief and it's not their fault."

Ms Chivers said while the birth did not go to plan, she received incredible care from midwives

"It's really important that everyone has the best care possible and ideally women are able to give birth where they want to and also receive the recovery they want afterwards," she added.

"It's scary being pregnant and its scary giving birth so not knowing where you're going to give birth or where you're going to recover is incredibly anxiety inducing."

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said maternity staffing challenges were a national issue and it had implemented "several successful initiatives" over the last year.

However, it added that while several new midwives had been recruited, it "must be balanced against maternity leave, sickness absence and resignations".