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NEARLY 200 NEW or expecting parents wrote to the Minister of Health between August and October appealing for restrictions at maternity hospitals to be lifted.
Partners were not allowed to attend the 20-week anatomy scan for most of 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions before the position was reversed by many hospitals. Partners were also only allowed attend the delivery room during the late stages of labour and during the birth.
Visiting by partners is allowed in some hospitals for short periods of time in the days after the birth, but others are not allowing any visits. With the number of Covid cases on the rise, maternity hospitals are understood to be reviewing their policies again.
Yesterday, the Rotunda, one of the main maternity hospitals in Dublin, made the announcement that partners will no longer be allowed to attend the 20-22 week pregnancy scan.
A spokesperson said the “very difficult decision” was made “due to the surge in community-acquired Covid-19 infections and the move to Level 5 restrictions”.
The announcement comes a month after a rally was held outside the Coombe Maternity Hospital to protest against a Covid-19 restriction that prevents women’s partners from being in the wards for full labour and after the delivery.
Under the Freedom of Information Act, TheJournal.ie can reveal that between August and October, over 166 letters and emails were sent to Stephen Donnelly making emotional pleas to him to lift the restrictions.
It is understood that many more were received in the run-up to the end of 2020.
As well as members of the public, TDs, ministers, MEPs and councillors from all parties also passed on correspondence to the health minister’s office, seeking an update on what was being done about the issue.
Emotional and angry emails seen by TheJournal.ie detail how women were left terrified of going through labour alone, without their partners.
Others spoke about the harrowing stories of being told that they had had a miscarriage when they were sitting alone in a maternity hospital, with their partners left in car parks.
In one email, one expectant mother detailed “one of the most upsetting moments of my life”.
Attending hospital alone
She had a bleed at eight weeks into pregnancy and had to go to the hospital alone.
She explained how women were in hospital waiting rooms without their partners, being told the most upsetting news.
Another emailer said: “Is this the case of sure ‘it’s only women’ who bloody cares what they are going through. An attitude we have seen far too long in this country.”
She added: ” I am certain that if men gave birth, this would not even be up for debate.”
Another mother-to-be wrote to Donnelly stating:
I am facing one of the most life changing experiences imaginable, and I have to do it alone. In the field next to the hospital I can hear a sports game being played, where players aren’t able to practice social distancing. Yet I (and every other woman in the country) sit without any support while we are at our most vulnerable.
She explained that pregnancy is such an “emotional roller coaster full of constant worry, made even harder with the main support system of the mother being removed”.
‘Totally disregarded’
She said mothers in Ireland feel “totally disregarded”.
I am absolutely disgusted that you have the audacity to reopen the bloody pubs when my husband cannot attend our 12 week scan.
Another wrote to the minister stating that she thought the rules were “extremely unfair and unjust on our family as we have followed and are following all the rules since March”.
“We lost a baby last year and it’s been extremely stressful for me going to appointments on my own all year. I’m pleading to you can you help me to allow him to visit me while I’m in hospital please,” she said.
One woman who is expecting twins said it is an extremely stressful time, stating having partners in the hospital is a necessity rather than a luxury.
Anger of fathers
A father wrote to the minister about his anger at the restrictions.
He said they were somewhat “lucky” because they were able to afford a private scan, which allowed them to both attend, in comparison to the rules set down by many public hospitals.
“I was with my wife when the sad news that our baby’s heart was not beating was discovered and was, therefore, able to comfort her and absorb the news myself in real-time.”
The father added:
“I understand these are unprecedented times but I am struggling to understand how it is possible and acceptable for a person to get on public transport, meet their friends and, if they wish, go on a pub crawl but I am not able to put on all the PPE necessary and go from the front door of the maternity hospital, straight to the relevant room with my wife and be with her in this difficult time for us.
Where do the priorities of this government lie when procedures to allow the former take precedence over the latter? As I said earlier we are the lucky ones, we cannot help but think of the hundreds or thousands of women who had to discover such terrible news on their own.
A father’s role
Another father said husbands and partners play an important role in the labour process and are often the voice for the woman when things go wrong, or when they are experiencing a lot of pain, providing comfort to their loved ones.
Another first-time mother-to-be said in an email to the minister:
“It was absolutely horrible, lying there alone getting this news. I’d like to know when he
will be allowed in to share this with me. Out of all of the precautions you’re taking for Covid-19, I feel like this is a cruel and unnecessary one. Limit it to both of the parents and no one else if you must but I beg you to reconsider allowing fathers attend. It’s a special milestone they’re losing out on.”
In a letter sent to the Taoiseach, and forward to the health minister, one woman said she and her husband were overjoyed to find out that we were pregnant with their second child.
“We patiently waited for our eight-week scan to roll around and on I excitedly went to my consultant’s office for my first scan. What began as pure joy quickly turned into confusion, fear and sadness when there was no heartbeat and I was told I was only measuring six weeks and two days.
The moment when I needed my husband the most I was alone crying in my doctor’s office being questioned about dates and how sure I was that I was eight weeks. I was told to wait two weeks and come back where there was just a 50/50 chance there could be a baby, again alone. It was at this appointment on I was given the devastating news that my pregnancy wasn’t viable and I was going through a missed miscarriage.
She said miscarriages are very common and “are the most heartbreaking and gut-wrenching thing to go through”.
“Because of these ridiculous measures we have to go through them alone,” she said.
‘Crying in my bed, alone’
In this woman’s case, a D&C, a procedure to remove tissue from inside the uterus was required.
“I was alone crying in my bed wanting nothing more than to hug my partner and grieve
with him for our lost child.”
One woman said having a partner there during the most important time in anyone’s life is not a luxury.
One woman said that the restrictions were a case of the cure being worse than the disease.
“It is unacceptable to continue to show so little respect for vulnerable women and new families. I am not asking for visitors, I am simply asking for the partner to be allowed with the mother from induction or early labour and to be allowed visit postnatal ward to give some much-needed support to these mothers, many of whom have had major abdominal surgery.”
“I hope that you are seeking a review of these restrictions, otherwise you are directly responsible for continuing to allow women to live in fear of the happiest moments of their lives.”
A number of politicians such as Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan also wrote to Stephen Donnelly, raising their concerns about the restrictions in maternity hospitals as well as highlighting the high level of correspondence they were receiving from constituents.
Hourigan was just one of the politicians who called on the Minister for Health to consider the impact of the current restrictions on pregnant people and requesting that he consider a review in conjunction with hospitals and care providers.
She pointed out that the Green Party Lord Mayor of Dublin Hazel Chu had received hundreds of pieces of correspondence from those accessing maternal care who have spoken out about the “very real impact the absence of a partner can have on your well being”.
“The World Health Organization supports the presence of partners during antenatal care and labour as research shows it can improve outcomes,” she said, writing that pregnancy and labour can be a very stressful time for mothers, as well as their partners.
Guidance
A spokesperson for the Department of Health said the Health Protection Surveillance Centre has issued guidance regarding attendance at hospitals during the pandemic, which includes attendance at maternity hospitals.
“The guidance advises that restrictions on partner visiting; accompanying persons in labour; or parents visiting neonatal intensive care units, should be based on a documented risk assessment that is regularly reviewed.
“Any decisions on restrictions are informed by this guidance and with due regard to local circumstances, including infrastructure, local rates of community infection and infection rates in members of staff.”
The HSE has now re-classified partners as an ‘essential companion’ for the purpose of fetal anomaly or anatomy scans, with updated guidance to maternity hospitals given in December stating that partners’ attendance at fetal anomaly or anatomy scans will be facilitated, where possible, having regard to overall patient and staff safety.
“However, it is important to emphasise that if a case of Covid-19 is linked to a maternity unit, Public Health teams will undertake a public health risk assessment, and it may be necessary to re-introduce restrictions,” said the spokesperson.
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More CCTV in London, than anywhere. He’ll be on it…
They still need all the footage they can possibly get.. CCTV only helps so much.
I always thought it used to be a terrorist attack if the perpetrator or perpetrators were foreign. Hence why in NI the IRA were classed as ‘the terrorist group IRA’ in the media and the UDA were simply ‘UDA’. Chances are this guy is British born with a British passport.
With all them people getton on and off the train why didn’t people help the poor man???
Because in a crisis or serious incident, the first thing people do these days is get their phones out to record it……. As soon as the police arrived and cuffed the man there were loads of heroes who wanted to have a go
Everyone for there own here people though he could blow himself up
Muslim extremists are known to blow themselves up.
Because most unarmed people are not trained or capable of disarming and subdduing a lunatic with a knife.
Very easy to sit behind a screen and say that. Would you bravely take on a lunatic wielding a knife, potentially costing you your own life? I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I would. Thoughts of my family having to deal with it etc.
Somebody did help help. The assailant was punched and pinned to the ground:m.
..maybe it’s something we need to consider then…knife attacks getting too common here too.
my first thought would be my children at home. I wouldn’t take on a lunatic with a knife
But Maria, If you were the victim and you were being violently attacked – wouldn’t you be hoping someone would step in (or several people would step in) so that you could see your children again!?
In Europe citizens have been completely disarmed by the government. For some unknown reason it is even illegal to carry any weapon (not even pepper spray) for self-defence purposes. We are defenceless in the face of armed fanatics. No surprise nobody wants to help: bare hand against a knife? No thanks…
i saved a drunken irish girl from an afgan one night, i got no thanks, apparently she laughed at it the next day. he was trying to bring her along with him, linked by the arm. her friend asked me to stick around, i can still remember the evil look of pure hate on that mans face when he told me to go away and mind my own woman. i have never been able to view islam in the same light since to be honest.
It’s a pretty sad reflection on society today, that people will whip out their phones to film an attack rather than help the victim.
Did you ever watch Black Mirror? They’re all thought provoking, but there is one about a woman who wakes up with no knowledge of who she is, she is running through the streets looking for help, but people just film her on their phones.
Sounds interesting, will keep an eye out for it. Thanks Gemma.
“London tube stabbing attack” that should read “London tube terrorist attack”.
The profiling of all male Muslims between the ages of 19 to 29 won’t be far off
Would be sensible in fact. They’re unhinged at this stage.
Sm 987123 It wont happen in the UK .
Idiotic. Read some history and some perspective.
Read some history and get some perspective. I have done thanks. And history points to this as being a logical step. But thanks for your idiotic input moron
You’re probably correct. Instead they’ll probably implement more Internet “controls” on everyone else as a “safety ” precaution
Why so many red Thumbs . Its the truth . Cameron and his lot wont let it happen .
I think it’s interesting how this is constantly classed as a terrorist attack in every article and news bulletin when it looks like one mentally deranged man with a knife screaming his cause is for Syria after hearing about it on the news, it’s the lone reasoning of a nutter and it’s not like it’s the only knife attack that happened over the last week in the UK, there were many as usual, just the only one who mentioned something political and we are getting endless coverage and updates about a single small every day incident which is being used by the media to fan the recent flames of fear and the threat of terror to justify the UK ‘s involvement in the Syrian proxy conflict.
You think it’s interesting, sounds familiar ‘Derek’. It sounds like you’d prefer if the details or motivation behind this attack were not discussed or established, as they would be if it was motivated by robbery or hate. The facts speak for themselves here, an attack on commuters made in the name if Syria a couple of days after Britain commence bombing Syria, it is significant and not just another london stabbing.
The officer that tazed him is heard shouting “drop it you fool”. It took 3 attempts at tazering him to detain him as if he was on drugs or a somehow slow. No one other than the BBC and other foreign media outlets are claiming to call it a terrorist attack. This is one twisted moron who happens to be Muslim. But ‘JimmyMc’ that’s the reason your on here to push for more hatred and vilification of all Muslims where I’m simply stating what my opinion is based on the video, the response by media and little else. Very few others online are making a big deal of it. Seen as yet another stabbing my a thug. There’s no statement from Downing St or the government like after an actual terrorist attack. You and the mob who have taken over from the once semi rational commenter are no better than your typical lynch mob waiting for a reason to come on here with the mention of muslims. Id rather discuss the facts and await further information than jump on the bandwagon. If the next guy who knifes someone is claiming it’s for the Palestinian conflict or the current price of a packet of Tux biscuits would you be as quick to call it a terrorist attack? He was kicking the hell out of one man on the ground and then attacked him with a knife, it makes headline news on CNN and of course gets mentioned by BBC but they still make the flooding and storm top story.
Hardly a terrorist attack though. One unhinged lunatic attacking people shouting a slogan is not the work of a terrorist organisation. Similarly if an Irish person in the 80′s assaulted an English person shouting “Up the ‘RA” it would hardly have been considered a terrorist attack.
People were terrified, and terrorized, so yes it is a terrorist attack!
So that makes every attack a terrorist attack then
Malcolm, that definition of terrorism would cover just about every military action.
Is there not a stabbing every day in London?
At least , but few are indiscriminate terrorists on commuters trying to get home
Sorry it’s Sunday. The head is a little hazy
So nobody helped him then. They just pretended not to notice and walked on. Selfish society.
Tosser is right…
Google bystander effect. Not only is this common all over the world, it is to be expected
People tried to throw things at him. Someone threw a bottle, it says in the article. Would you confront someone with a knife, someone who had already shown that he’ll use it. Serious keyboard warriors on here!
Back in July, a neo nazi in Stoke chased down a random Indian guy and stabbed him in the neck
in a supposed revenge for Lee Rigbys murder. There was no wall to wall to coverage of it, and there certainly wasn’t anyone calling it a terrorist incident, because people were able to rationalise it as one lunatic who lost his mind.
As someone who lives 5 minutes up the road Leytonstone I don’t feel like it’s a terrorist incident. It’s a lunatic going out attacking random people, which is, sadly enough, a common enough occurrence in this part of London.
Very easy to be a hero if your not there. Real life heros are different to keyboard heros.
have your say