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Two mothers have spoken out about their experiences of Jersey's “outdated” maternity unit, calling for a complete rethink of the facility.
They shared their testimonies with Express following the announcement of an official Scrutiny review of the island's maternity services.
The review aims to investigate concerns over the state of the facility and its infection control standards among other issues - some of which dating as far back as 2015.
For Amy*, who has been in the maternity unit twice, her first experience four years ago was a difficult one.
Pictured: Both mothers have used the facilities twice, most recently last year.
“My epidural was inserted badly by a junior member of staff and the birth ended in a C-section after 42 hours of labour,” she recalled.
“I contracted C. Diff in surgery and was then isolated in hospital for a week at the end of the corridor. The midwives offered a lot of differing advice and I found my mental health declined quickly as a new mum.
“I asked three times to see my medical notes and a review of the birth so I could come to terms with the traumatic experience but this never happened.”
Pictured: One mother called on more direct mental health support to be offered to patients struggling following birth.
Following this experience, Amy was discharged following a mental health assessment with antidepressants. Last year, she returned to the ward for her second child, and said that things had not improved. “The place was dreary, outdated and not fit for purpose," she said.
Detailing the impact that added covid restrictions had on her stay, she described how “the lack of fresh air, daylight and inability to chat to any other mums - never mind without visitors - is enough to drive anyone mad". In addition, she felt the food was "appalling most days" and "lacked basic nutrition - which should be a prerequisite for breastfeeding."
She continued: “I had to beg to be allowed out for a walk because my daughter was unable to leave due to an infection. I was kept away from my son for a week and remained in one room, apart from for a shower.
“The rooms lack any comforts for mothers or partners…. My daughter wasn’t poorly enough for SCBU [Special Care Baby Unit], but still had to remain in hospital for a week and it was down to one lovely nurse who eventually cared for her whilst I signed myself out for a walk across the road.
“I felt under duress and had to beg many members of staff to be allowed to leave.”
Pictured: Midwives working on the ward were praised, with both mothers saying they felt staff should have access to better facilities.
In the aftermath of this second experience, she was again offered antidepressants, despite having battled the previous four years to come off of them. She was dissatisfied with this, wanting more human support.
“What I [required] was some connection, some other mothers to share my experience with, some better sleep, some fresh air and vitamin D - none of which I could access on the maternity ward,” she stated.
While Cassie* did not suffer the same mental health struggles, the experience of being both in the ward and in the delivery suite last year left her feeling highly uncomfortable, citing a lack of air conditioning and basic privacy.
One memory that stood out in particular was during delivery in the sweltering heatwave in September: “It was one in the afternoon, peak of the heat, and the delivery suite didn’t have any air-con – they had a fan, but it’s not really going to do too much, it’s quite unbearably hot in there.
“Then when I moved back onto the ward, I asked if I had a fan, and they didn’t have enough for everybody, so you’re basically sweltering in there.”
Pictured: "It was one in the afternoon, peak of the heat, and the delivery suite didn’t have any air-con – they had a fan, but it’s not really going to do too much, it’s quite unbearably hot in there.”
Another key issue with the delivery suite came during the birth of her second child: “I was induced on my second child, so obviously things take a little bit longer.
“I was told to walk up and down the corridor, and what’s not very nice is you don’t have your own bathroom so you have to go all the way down the corridor to go to the toilet, and you hear everybody else in labour, which is a very daunting experience, to hear what’s to come for you soon.”
When she was there, she also described how on this delivery suite, there were only two toilets, recalling one time when she “was in a toilet, the other one was occupied too, and this poor lady was outside having a contraction while her husband was holding her up, wanting to go to the toilet, but she couldn’t.”
The other uncomfortable experience Cassie recalled related to the shower she had to use, which she said offered no privacy: “It was basically in a corridor, and they put a screen over it - so you people's feet - through the gaps you can see the staff and everyone walking past this active corridor, it’s a pretty uncomfortable experience.”
She therefore hopes the Government will act on the unit's "desperate need" for ensuite facilities, adding: "I think people should be able to give birth in comfort and dignity in this day and age.”
Pictured: "Through the gaps you can see the staff and everyone walking past this active corridor, it’s a pretty uncomfortable experience.”
She acknowledged that it “is a very different time giving birth to a baby during covid than it was two years ago”, stating that throughout her second pregnancy, she never saw the same midwife twice.
While both mothers emphasised an urgent need for the facility to be updated, they were full of praise for the current staff, in particular the midwives, who they said felt were trying their best under poor conditions.
“The staff work under extremely difficult conditions and I really felt for the midwives, many of whom don’t have the energy after long shifts to fight for their right to a pleasant working environment,” Amy said.
She added that she “couldn't have felt more at ease on the day of my daughter’s birth."
"The midwives were caring and extremely supportive. I chatted with several midwives who admitted they felt overwhelmed at the prospect of ever fighting for better working environment.”
Pictured: The new upgrade of the maternity unit will include an extended Special Care Baby Unit.
It's hoped that these issues will be addressed when the unit is upgraded and extended, following the approval of a planning application in October.
Indeed, the planning application itself echoed many of the concerns raised by Amy and Cassie, with the key issues identified being:
But, for Amy, improvements should go beyond simple infrastructure fixes, but should involve a whole change in approach to put the emphasis on mother and baby's needs and providing a comforting atmosphere for them.
She said this could include “peer mentoring or doulas where midwives are unable to pick up some of the needs of mums and dads because of workloads, [and] better connections with antenatal department, community midwives, GPs, perinatal mental health team, charities, NCT."
She added: “Consider the basics: soft lighting, fans for all the mothers, a kitchen for the partners, permanent birthing pools, soft furnishings, inspirational pictures and quotes on the walls from mothers throughout history, mood lighting, sensory room, ensuite facilities, plants, flowers at reception... The possibilities are endless.”
Express has contacted the Government for comment and is awaiting response.
Members of the public can share their experiences of the ward for the Health and Social Security Scrutiny Panel's official review by e-mailing scrutiny@gov.je or providing feedback via their website.
Once the review is complete, the panel of politicians will put together a report of recommendations for improvement to Government.
*Names changed to protect anonymity.
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