Stamford mum feared for life as dad delivers baby because of midwife and beds shortage at City of Peterborough Hospital
A Stamford mum said she feels let down after having to give birth at home without medical support due to a shortage of midwives and beds.
Polly Hurst, 26, was scared she might die during the labour as her partner Matt Taylor was called on to deliver daughter Clementine at their Elgar Way home.
Having arranged an assisted homebirth, she was told by City of Peterborough Hospital days before the due date that no midwives would be available to visit and there were closures at their birth centre because of staff shortages.
"I was terrified," said Polly.
"It's easy to look back now and reflect that everything's turned out well, but at the time I thought I was going to die from the labour.
"I feel really let down by the hospital. They had an option there to support us, but didn't.
"It's not the midwives' fault at all - they are completely overwhelmed to the point of breakdown. It's not good enough."
Jo Bennis, Chief Nurse at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Peterborough City Hospital said they could not comment on individual cases because of patient confidentiality.
But she apologised to Polly for her 'poor standard of care', saying they always strive to give the 'best possible care', and said the feedback had been used to improve learning and practice.
“Our hospitals are not alone in experiencing staffing shortages and this was something that we experienced back in the summer," she said.
"However I would like to reassure expectant women that this is not the situation now. There has recently been an ongoing recruitment drive within our maternity department, which has seen a number of midwives already starting with us. "
Unhappy with her treatment at hospital during the birth of her first child, Polly (26) arranged a home birth.
"When I had my son I had quite a lot of trauma at hospital," she said.
"I suffer with anxiety and it was exacerbated there so when I fell pregnant again I knew I couldn't go through that.
"We both loved the idea of a homebirth and let my midwife know that was our plan almost straightaway. It was on my record from about 12 weeks."
However, four days before the July 22 due date, Polly was told midwife services for home births had been suspended.
The call also warned that the birth centre at Peterborough had been closed on and off for the previous week, and offered alternatives including King's Lynn, Addenbrooke's and Coventry.
"We said weren't prepared to travel that far," she added.
"If it's a quick labour you are in a lot of trouble with that. But I was trying not to panic, and the baby wasn't showing any signs of coming."
Polly organised a private midwife through Home Birth Support Group UK, but the go-ahead from the hospital did not arrive in time.
Six days after her due date, on July 28, she went into labour, but was told no beds were available at Peterborough nor midwives for a home visit.
After again declining a 47-mile trip to King's Lynn or a 50-mile drive to Addenbrookes she was told freebirth - without pain relief and assistance - was the only other option.
"We tried to treat it like a normal morning - my partner and son blew up the birthing pool in the living room and we all watched some TV," Polly recalled.
"But the contractions began coming so quickly, I rang the hospital again and said 'I can't cope with this, please can I come in?'"
After an hour's wait for a call back about a possible place at Hinchingbrook Hospital, the couple called paramedics, only to receive an offer of a bed at the Huntingdon hospital minutes later.
"I said 'if I leave now I will give birth in the car'," Polly added.
"So my partner was talked through the process by a call handler. To be asked to deliver your own child is daunting, but he was the calmest person imaginable."
Matt ,25, said: "It was scary to say the least.
"If I showed panic it would make the situation worse so I had to keep all that in. Inside it was horrifying, but externally you have to put on a brave face.
"Watching my partner going through all the stress there was only so much support I could give - I'm not medically-trained. She did incredibly well.
"I did my best on the information I had and it worked out as well as the situation allowed. It was a surreal experience."
An hour into the call, Clementine was born, weighing 7lb 7oz, just 20 minutes before paramedics arrived.
"It was a miracle because there are so many things that can go wrong with birth," Polly said.
"I'm unbelievably grateful that things worked out for me and my family and pray that it works out for others."
