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Jessa Laws: Portland woman gives birth roadside after hospital birthing suite closed

A Portland mother who desperately tried to “hold her baby in” was forced to give birth roadside after her local hospital closed its birthing suite.

Jessa Laws and newborn daughter Astrid Laws, who was born on the roadside between Portland and Warrnambool at Port Fairy.
Jessa Laws and newborn daughter Astrid Laws, who was born on the roadside between Portland and Warrnambool at Port Fairy.

A Portland mother was forced to give birth to her third child on the side of a road on Tuesday morning.

Jessa Laws had planned to have her child at Warrnambool; about an hour from her home, a country town in south-west Victoria.

But her fears she would not last the drive were realised in the early hours of Tuesday morning when she gave birth to her daughter Astrid at 5.25am..

Because Portland District Health closed its birthing suite last month, her and her husband, Ben, were forced to deliver the baby on the roadside at Port Fairy.

“We were on the phone to triple-0 – the lady advised us to pull over and put our hazards on – but it wasn’t safe to do so – at that stage Astrid was starting to crown, I actually had my hand down my pants holding her in just stopping her from being born,” Jessa said.

“We got to Port Fairy and Ben pulled up. Ben came around to my side of the of the car – I was in the passenger seat on all fours.”

The paramedics met the family on the roadside, and in two minutes, Astrid was born.

Jessa Laws with her newborn Astrid who was born on the roadside between in Port Fairy.
Jessa Laws with her newborn Astrid who was born on the roadside between in Port Fairy.

Jessa said she was concerned about her third pregnancy because her first two involved life-threatening complications — including a postpartum haemorrhage and a “stuck” child.

She said she also knew she had no other option but to travel to Warrnambool given Portland District Health announced it had closed its birthing suite temporarily last month.

“We have a hospital almost 10 minutes from my house, a hospital that is capable of delivering,” she said.

“We’re a town of more than 10,000 people; we have an amazing community and it’s an essential service. We can’t afford to lose the support for pregnant women.

“It was a stroke of luck we were OK. Next time, for the next woman it might not be, and that’s a horrific thing to think about.”

Jessa Laws and Ben Laws newborn daughter Astrid Laws, born April 5 at 5:25am weighing 3.59kg
Jessa Laws and Ben Laws newborn daughter Astrid Laws, born April 5 at 5:25am weighing 3.59kg
Jessa and Ben with newborn daughter Astrid.
Jessa and Ben with newborn daughter Astrid.

Her husband Ben said the road between Portland and Port Fairy was limited with safe places to give birth.

He said there was no roadside lighting, possible poor mobile reception and minimal assistance.

“For me there was a lot of task switching between focusing on driving, road hazards, being attentive to my wife both emotionally and physically. As she was in labour and as it increased, there was a minor feeling of helplessness where I'm going ‘Jesus, what can I do?” Ben said.

“Well, the best thing I can do right now is keep heading east and liaise with triple-0 and get ourselves to an easy to find location.”

South West Coast Liberal MP Roma Britnell said Jessa and Ben’s situation was what she feared after the local hospital suspended its maternity services.

“This is the very situation we were fearing would happen when the decision was made to suspend the birthing service at Portland District Health,” she said.

Ms Britnell said the situation should have never happened, saying “the birthing service needs to reopen now, not in three months”.

“Where are the safety concerns for expectant mothers like Jessa?” she said.

“We just cannot tolerate a situation where we have mothers giving birth on the side of a road. Is that what the PDH board and Minister for Health consider safe?”

The closure of maternity services at PDH followed years of staff shortages, poor education and training opportunities and “flawed” strategic planning according to a hospital review.

Last week Health Minister Martin Foley said the hospital was having a “temporary set of challenges”.

“There is a temporary shortage of midwives, and that’s disproportionately the case in regional rural communities," he said.

“I know the team is working really hard to fill vacancies, and this will be reviewed every six weeks.”

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/warrnambool/jessa-laws-portland-woman-gives-birth-roadside-after-hospital-birthing-suite-closed/news-story/c72f671da00f3a4658d8a20134879bb7