UK maternity units ‘turn women away’

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Heidi Woodgate
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I came across an article in the Independent which reports that many English hospitals had to turn away women in labour last year because they were full.

The BBC reports that of the 70 per cent of hospital trusts that provided data, more than 40 per cent said they had been forced to shut their doors or divert women to other sites at least once.

One in 10 said it happened more than 10 times…

“It is difficult to precisely predict when a mother will go into labour and sometimes, at times of peak demand, maternity units do temporarily divert women to nearby facilities,” a Department of Health spokesman told the BBC.

“When this does happen it is often only for a few hours and to ensure mother and baby can receive the best care possible.”

For me, this is an important reminder that many things in the process of giving birth are just outside of your control – and the only thing you do have choice over is how you respond to the situation.

As Blissful Birth mothers know, our programme helps you relax and mentally prepare for birth, so that if these unexpected things happen, you are better able to cope and remain in control.

Bye for now,
Heidi

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