Gladstone Hospital maternity crisis: Sophie’s choice for expectant mothers

Stories coming out of Central Queensland about expectant women being on the brink of death in hospital carparks or having babies on the side of the road are horror stories that naturally are having an impact on those with a baby on the way.

Stories coming out of Central Queensland about expectant women being on the brink of death in hospital carparks or having babies on the side of the road are horror stories that naturally are having an impact on those with a baby on the way.

As Gladstone bypass approaches 200 days, it is saddening to think that women feel the best option for them is to have a C-section, rather than heading off on the 100km journey to Rockhampton with the uncertainty of exactly when baby will arrive.

EDITORIAL: Hospital’s dire situation has gone on too long

A side-of-the-road birth in an ambulance or the family car is not something any pregnant woman wants to risk.

But a C-section is not the easy option either. It is serious surgery with risks. Women don’t bounce back like they do with a natural birth. And what about future babies? It’s not straightforward to follow a C-section with a vaginal birth.

Gladstone mum Kirsten Stanley with husband Luke, son Jackson and baby Shelby

Maternity advocates say it’s Sophie’s choice for these women.

It wasn’t long ago that the Queensland government launched the state’s Normal Birth Strategy – a project to try to reduce the number of C-sections in public hospitals.

The government was aware that the 2020 C-section rate of 30 per cent was unacceptable – double what is recommended by the World Health Organisation.

If Gladstone remains on bypass, maternity experts fear that the number of women in the area wanting Caesareans births will rise.

The Australian Medical Association Queensland says it is a medical emergency.

Someone needs to send in a lifeline.

Originally published as Gladstone Hospital maternity crisis: Sophie’s choice for expectant mothers