Mums make final plea to save Epworth Geelong’s maternity ward

Locals mums due to have their babies within weeks at Epworth Geelong have made a final plea to save the hospital’s maternity ward.

Three pregnant mothers have made a final plea to save Epworth Geelong’s maternity closure. (L-R) Jessica Jehu, Nikita Burke and Cindy Westlake Kelly. Picture: Alan Barber

Expecting mothers due to have their babies at Epworth Geelong have made a final plea for the hospital to keep its maternity ward open.

The Waurn Ponds hospital is proposing to close its maternity unit from March 1, blaming staff shortages, but a local campaign is fighting for the ward to continue its services.

The plan was announced in late November anda decision on the future of the unit, where hundreds of babies are born each year, is expected within the next fortnight.

Highton mum Nikita Burke is due to have her third child at Epworth in late March, after the ward’s proposed closure date.

She is waiting to hear if she will be able to give birth at Epworth or if she will need to find a new obstetrician, just weeks before her due date.

Jessica Jehu, Cindy Westlake Kelly and Nikita Burke are calling for Epworth’s maternity ward closure to be reconsidered. Picture: Alan Barber

Ms Burke said she was devastated and shocked when she heard the announcement midway through her pregnancy, having given birth to her first two children at Epworth.

The local mum urged the hospital to keep its maternity services open.

Highton mum Jessica Jehu is pregnant with her third child and planned to give birth at Epworth.

Midway through her pregnancy, she decided to switch obstetricians and will give birth in late February at St John of God hospital instead due to the closure.

She said the announcements made her feel “uncertain” about what it meant for the birth of her baby.

“Women don’t want to be leaving their obstetricians in their middle of their pregnancies but they’re uncertain about the closure and what it means for them,” she said.

“I was so relaxed this pregnancy but every since the announcement I have felt so stressed.”

Ms Jehu said it was important for the ward to remain open to give women the freedom of choice.

“It doesn’t seem like the right decision to close a purpose-built, new facility with state-of-the art equipment … they should be throwing everything they can at it to keep it open,” she said.

“Why you would want it to close it is beyond me.”

First-time mum Cindy Westlake Kelly was due to give birth at Epworth on March 9, missing the “cut-off” of the closure by just days.

The Newcomb resident said she was six months pregnant when she heard the news and was instantly stressed about finding an alternative.

Although she will now be induced early and will welcome her first child at Epworth, Ms Westlake Kelly said it was crucial the service stayed open.

“I’m now one of the lucky ones, but … the fact that people are so willing to fight for the service says how needed it is,” she said.

“They should at least honour those commitments they made to women already pregnant and locked in with them.”

Local GP Elise Davey has been at the forefront of the campaign to save the maternity ward, which she said had continued to gain momentum.

“I’m still keeping my fingers crossed,” Dr Davey said.

“Regardless of the decision, if they close it we can rest assured we did everything we could as a community.

“If it does close it will be such a great shame.”

Epworth Geelong acting executive general manager Mark Grime said Epworth must be confident it could provide a high-quality maternity service that was safe and sustainable into the future.

“This is a difficult and distressing proposal for our impacted patients, staff, obstetricians, paediatricians and the broader community,” he said.

“Epworth will make a decision within two weeks and advise our patients, staff, doctors, and the community.”

Epworth Geelong currently delivers around 10 babies a week.

Originally published as Mums make final plea to save Epworth Geelong’s maternity ward