Maternity campaigners have called on the Minister to speak to them.
Minister Stephen Donnelly claims his department is doing “absolutely everything we can” to resolve the maternity restrictions in Ireland.
The Health Minister’s statement comes after a woman went through labour in the car park of the Coombe.
Breege O’Connor told The Journal she went through the late stages of labour in a car outside the Coombe because of the current maternity restrictions. The mum, who safely welcomed her fourth child, said her partner was not allowed to accompany her into the Coombe.
Women need their partners and birth partners by their side.
Expecting them to go through labour and birth is going to cause so much harm, but Minister Donnelly continues to ignore this fact.
Former Lord Mayor Hazel Chu called out the maternity restrictions: “The year is 2021 and somehow it feels like 1951. “Car park labour.” Where is the humanity? Whichever hospital this is, the management should take a long hard look at themselves.”
Our 2nd 'covid baby' has thankfully arrived safely. My options after VE alone in the throes of labour? A bed alone on ward with the promise of pain relief OR public carpark labour for hours with my husband at 3am. Carpark labour it was. I NEEDED HIM. We Need #BetterMaternityCare
— Breege O'Connor (@BreegeConnor) October 13, 2021
Speaking to HerFamily, Better Maternity Care campaigner Linda Kelly said Stephen Donnelly’s silence is beyond hurtful.
“When you are ignored it makes you feel like you don’t matter. That’s what Stephen Donnelly is doing right now to families all across the country,” she said. “The least, the very least, he could do is meet with #BetterMaternityCare to hear our concerns and to help find a solution to this issue.”
Expectant-mums, new parents and parents-to-be are being treated like “second class citizens”.
If the Department and Minister Donnelly truly cared wouldn’t these restrictions be long gone by now?
If people can sit in the pub and drink pints of Guinness then why can’t a fully vaccinated parent be by their partner’s side when they’re giving birth to their child?
How is that fair at all?
Linda Kelly stressed that Minister Donnelly needs to do more.
She called on Donnelly: “Meet with us and take control of this issue until it is resolved. Make sure women’s experiences are heard and that these restrictions are ended.”
