'Not giving birth in a car park is a good job'

"If we had waited, we probably would have had to have our baby in a car park."

Jenny, who lives at Parracombe on the Devon side of Exmoor, gave birth at a hospital more than one hour away after the closure of her closest maternity unit.

She said she would have gone to North Devon Devon District Hospital (NDDH) in Barnstaple but, due to the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust suspending maternity services from 11 August, she had to travel 51 miles (80km) away to a hospital in Exeter.

The mother-of-three said her waters broke in the early hours of 19 August, the day she was due to be induced.

Because of that, she and her partner Ed decided to leave early instead of waiting for contractions to ensure they were in hospital for the birth. She said the hospital was about a one hour and 40 minute drive away from their house.

After announcing it was "cautiously optimistic" birthing services could resume by the end of September, the Royal Devon trust board met on Wednesday to review the progress towards reopening. It said another meeting was due to be was held before a date could be confirmed.

Jenny said: "Once my contractions did start, he was born two hours later.

"It's a good job we decided to go early because, had we'd waited for contractions, which is the normal for deliveries, we probably would have had him in the car park."

Their son, Phoenix, was born at 05:03 BST, weighing 10lb (4.5kg), was healthy and well, she said.

When the trust announced birthing services would be temporarily suspended on 6 August, she said they went through the different scenarios, including whether they would even attempt to get to Exeter or if they should just "stay put and call an ambulance".

Talking about her experience, Jenny said she had no complaints about staff at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital maternity unit.

She said: "You can see the staff are really busy and are trying their absolute hardest to get everything done for everybody.

"I can't fault them at all."

However, she described the management which led to maternity services at the North Devon District Hospital being suspended as "appalling".

"How they've handled it and how it did get to this stage, because they had known about the staffing issues for quite some time, I think is ridiculous," she said.

Staffing issues were blamed for the unit's closure, which was seen as the "only safe course of action", affecting expectant parents in north Devon and Cornwall.

A Royal Devon spokesperson said the trust's board asked at its meeting on Wednesday for "final assurance" to be given the required number of senior medical staff had been secured before confirming a reopening date.

They said a second formal board meeting to agree the reopening plan was scheduled for next week.

They added: "We understand that women, families and the wider community want certainty, and we remain focused on reopening the service as soon as it is safe and sustainable to do so."

The trust also said on social media it was not offering classes on how to give birth in a car during the temporary suspension of services.

It said: "Our midwives are continuing to support all our women and birthing people through regular appointments."

Angela McConville, chief executive of the National Childbirth Trust, welcomed the possible resumption of maternity services, but stressed people needed "clear information about what happens next" and any reopening must be sustainable.

She also said what was happening mattered "far beyond Devon".

She said: "It is a warning about the workforce pressures affecting maternity services across the country and the impact this can have on women and families.

"When local services are reduced, women can lose choice about where and how they give birth and face greater uncertainty about their care.

"Safe, accessible maternity services and meaningful choice should not be a luxury depending on where you live."

McConville said the charity would continue to stand with those affected in Devon, "making the case for maternity services that are safe, sustainable and centred on the needs and experiences of those who use them".

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