Gladstone women say they will birth anywhere but home region

The crisis surrounding public maternity services in Gladstone has reached boiling point.

The women of Gladstone have so little faith in Central Queensland maternity services they are flocking to hospitals as far away as Brisbane and Logan to have their babies.

As Gladstone Hospital maternity hits day 260 on bypass, the crisis is now so bad it can be revealed women are routinely searching for accommodation and birthing plans up to 600km away from their homes and support networks.

Families have had enough and the local MP has revealed he received a death threat over the birthing services.

The Sunday Mail has spoken to three women who all say they were too fearful to birth in the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Services region.

They opted to stay with friends or family in Redcliffe or Logan or organise a labour induction at Bundaberg.

Other women have travelled to Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.

During pregnancy many Gladstone women are connecting on social media to discuss how to best cope with the crisis.

Gladstone mum Tiffany Lawrence had baby Leo in Bundaberg due to the bypass at Gladstone hospital.

Women are being funnelled to Rockhampton Base Hospital to have their babies and many are fearful of birthing on the side of the road on the way and fear the hospital is too overloaded now to give them the birthing experience they want.

Tiffany Lawrence said she couldn’t stand the uncertainty of where she would have her baby so she took control and booked herself into Bundaberg Hospital for a labour induction.

“I was scared and had bad anxiety. I had the fear of a roadside birth on the way to Rocky and worried that I would be discharged and sent back home before I had the chance to learn how to breastfeed. I had a good experience and was allowed to spend four days so I was comfortable with feeding Leo,” she said.

Tiffany and partner Trent drove to the hospital.

Bryson Head, state member for Callide, fears that the exodus to birth is a red flag that young couples will move out of the area completely.

“Many people have been telling me that when maternity services go so do we. The reports that women are starting to have their babies far away from home to get the births they deserve is just a sign that Central Queensland is not giving young families what they need. Why would they stay?” he said.

“Maternity is the backbone of any town or city where young couples live. Women are reporting that they are holding off having babies. But how long will they hold off?”

Mr Head said families are telling him that staff at Rockhampton are telling couples to go back to Gladstone where they came from.

Maternity services at Gladstone Hospital have been on bypass for 260 days. File picture

“I am not blaming these staff, they are frustrated, angry, overwhelmed,” he said.

Glenn Butcher, the elected state member for Gladstone, told the Sunday Mail that he received a death threat on his private Facebook over the bypass.

The born and bred Gladstone man said he was shocked by the message as he is working tirelessly to help the government return services.

“I understand the frustration of the locals but I have been working hard to bring obstetricians to the hospital. I will never bow down to gutless cowards who send messages to my personal account,” he said.

In response to women leaving the HHS to have their babies, a Queensland Health spokesman said that while public hospital maternity services aim to achieve the safe provision of care for mother and baby as close to home as possible, it is recognised some travel may be required to access necessary care.

“Women are encouraged to discuss their birth preferences with their care team or healthcare professional, including the planned location and setting of their birth,” he said.

Queensland Health said the national workforce shortages in obstetrics and gynaecology – along with the maldistribution of these specialists – had made it difficult to recruit and retain staff throughout Queensland.

Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service chief executive Emma McCahon said the HHS was committed to reintroducing usual birthing services at Gladstone and Biloela hospitals as soon as it had recruited the specialist staff needed to provide a safe and sustainable service.

Gladstone MP Glenn Butcher says he has received death threats over the maternity situation. Picture: Evan Morgan

Rural Doctors Association Queensland president Matt Masel said his association had met with Ms McCahon.

“They have talked through their planning with us. We can see their strategies will make a difference in ensuring local birthing for Gladstone and Biloela,” Dr Masel said.

Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli said he was disturbed that residents in a regional centre as populated as Gladstone were forced to leave their homes to have their babies delivered safely.

“Gladstone, an economic powerhouse, a city of tens of thousands of people and women and families are forced to leave there because they’re worried about having a baby on the side of the road,” he said on Sunday.

“In modern Queensland, we should be encouraging people to go and find opportunities in regional areas - they’re great cities, they should have the right to a world class health system.

“I would argue that that city gives its fair share and more and they deserve to be able to have a baby where, when and how they choose -- not to play Russian roulette and have a baby on the side of a highway.”

Milena Pool said she moved south because she was petrified of a roadside birth.

‘I DON”T WANT TO RISK A ROADSIDE BIRTH’

Emily Jack and her husband Joshua packed up their lives and their dog Bobby to have their baby at Logan Hospital.

The Gladstone couple have moved in with Ms Jack’s parents as they await the arrival of their first baby.

“I’m currently 37 weeks and, like some other pregnant women in Gladstone, I am too afraid to take my chances to have my baby there,” she said.

“I have heard that Rocky is overwhelmed and women feel rushed when they go there. And I didn’t want to risk a roadside birth, Who would? Typically a first birth can take a long time but you never know. I didn’t have any issues with booking into Logan Hospital. The staff there were a little shocked when I told them what was happening in Gladstone. My husband is working remotely while we wait for the baby and I have taken the stress out of it all.”

Emily Jack has moved with her husband Joshua to her parents in Logan. Picture: John Gass

Milena Pool said she felt a bit uncomfortable asking her husband’s cousin if they could move in with him in Redcliffe while they waited for the arrival of their baby.

“I didn’t like asking for such a big favour but I didn’t want to stay in Gladstone,” Ms Pool said.

“My previous labour was extremely quick. I probably wouldn’t have made the journey to Rockhampton. We even googled how to homebirth and thought we could do it ourselves but I was too frightened. We had a good experience at Redcliffe Hospital but I would love to have had Remi in Gladstone.”

Jemma Manwaring, who runs the Save Gladstone Maternity Ward support group, told the Sunday Mail that rising numbers of women are opting to birth in other regions

“These decisions have consequences for family’s finances, emotional wellbeing and health,” Ms Manwaring said.

“Last week, a family were travelling home from Brisbane. Their car overheated, they had no service and were stuck on the side of the road with a toddler and newborn. Queensland Police escorted them to a hotel.”