“I was forgotten about” First-time mother speaks about birth during a pandemic.
19/02/2021
A first-time mother has spoken about the challenges of giving birth during a pandemic, saying she felt she was “forgotten about” during her pregnancy.
Rhian Smith, 24, from Cwmbran, fell pregnant in March and gave birth to her daughter, Eira, in December.
Due to restrictions in hospitals in an attempt to limit the transmission of coronavirus, Rhian found herself attending many appointments alone, as well as the start of her labour.
“Usually, your partner is able to be with you on all your appointments and during the beginning part of your labor but I wasn’t allowed any of that - “I was on my own,” Rhian said.
“When I found out the gender I had to go on my own, when I had the first scan I had to go on my own, so if there were any problems, I would have been on my own.”
Miss Smith said she believes the well-being of pregnant women “wasn’t thought about enough.”
The isolation Rhian faced affected her pregnancy journey and led to her feeling anxious.
She said: “It affects the whole experience of having a baby - it’s meant to be a really special experience.
“I was meant to be really happy but there were a lot of nerves, anxiety, and loneliness because you are basically on your own.”
With many mothers experiencing similar situations, Plaid Cymru MS Bethan Sayed called for women to be given more support in light of the Covid crisis after she was left to recover from the traumatic birth of her first son alone.
A petition calling for birthing partners to be present at scans, the start of labour and after the birth which gathered more than 7,000 signatures and will now be debated by the Petitions Committee.
In November, the Welsh Government updated guidance to allow fathers, parents and birthing partners limited visitation in maternity settings in hospitals as Covid numbers began to fall, but Rhian said it won’t bring back those memories she lost out on.
24-year-old Rhian also caught Covid while carrying her daughter which she described as a “worrying experience”.
She said: “I had Covid while I was pregnant so I had a different experience than most people did. It was really worrying because I didn’t know what was going to happen.
“Nobody knew what happens when you are pregnant and have Covid but everything is fine - the baby is fine.”
Rhian didn’t have a consistent midwife who looked after her throughout her pregnancy or birth.
“When I was pregnant I didn’t have a midwife. A lot of people during their pregnancy get a consistent midwife, get to chat with the same person and set appointments. It was way different for me.”
“When you are seeing someone different every time you just feel like what is the point in telling this midwife?
“If I am feeling down or nervous about something - if I’m not going to see her again so there is no point.”
Helen Rogers, The Royal College of Midwives director, said the pandemic had put “additional pressure” on already stretched services and staff, but midwives have worked “incredibly hard” despite this.
She said: “Many of them are off with Covid-19 or self-isolating, increasing the pressures on them.
“Despite this, they have kept on providing 24-hour care for women and their babies, working incredibly hard to ensure women continue to receive support throughout and beyond their pregnancy.
“Services have had to adapt to the challenges, such as using video appointments when in-person appointments are not possible. The RCM has also been at the forefront of providing advice and guidance to women using maternity services, and for staff.
“If we are to continue providing safe care during this pandemic, it’s imperative that midwives and other maternity staff stay where they are needed most – in maternity - and aren’t redeployed to other areas of the NHS.”
Despite Rhian’s difficult birthing journey, she said she has a ‘fantastic’ experience at the new Grange Hospital in Cwmbran where she gave birth.
“My birth experience was amazing. The hospital was fantastic - I’m so happy I got to go there.
“However the lead up to it all is just the stuff you remember a lot more,” she said.