A bereaved mum is celebrating the success of her campaign to end the heartbreak of women who miscarry on regular maternity wards. Louise Caldwell said she cried tears of joy when she learnt special units were to be provided at her local hospital.
The Daily Record reported the announcement that the first of the special units is on its way came three weeks after the newspaper reported Louise's call for urgent action to provide the facilities at all Scotland's maternity hospitals. It is expected to open on October 31 at Wishaw General Hospital.
Mother-of-three Louise, 39, said: “I just can’t believe a wee mammy from East Kilbride has been able to achieve something like this.” She began her campaign with a petition to the Scottish Parliament after suffering a miscarriage three years ago.
Louise and her husband Craig have three sons Cody, 14, Aaron, 11, and five-year-old Noah but they have also experienced the pain of three miscarriages. At the 12-week scan during one of the pregnancies they learned the baby had died in the womb and were told Louise would need to return to the hospital the following day to deliver.
The couple thought they would be taken to a special ward but they were told nothing like that existed and they were taken to the regular labour suite. As they walked in, the door was held open by a beaming new dad, and while he was unaware of the agony they were going through, his happiness was like a knife wound to the couple.
Louise recalled the pain of the experience: “I walked down the corridor clutching a little memory box. It felt like the longest corridor in the world. I stared at the floor the whole way to try to avoid seeing the congratulations balloons, the baby cardigans, the thank-you cards for the midwives.”
Since then, she has campaigned relentlessly for dedicated facilities for perinatal loss. She said: “This isn’t a want – this is a necessity for women’s mental health and women’s rights.”
But now she is overjoyed at what she has achieved. “I had a meeting with a senior midwife and others and thought I was going to get a grilling but then they just mentioned that two rooms would be created by October 31 at Wishaw General," she said.
“The tears just started flowing. I just kept thinking, ‘Have I really done this?’ I was so emotional, it was surreal.
“I just can’t believe a wee mammy from East Kilbride has been able to achieve something like this but it still hurts my heart that I had to lose a baby to get these two rooms. It has been a long time coming and they are going to use real women’s voices to determine what the rooms will look like.
“The rooms will be within the maternity unit in case women need emergency treatment but they will be soundproofed so they will not be able to hear babies crying and there will be a separate entrance and exit. That is amazing.
“What a massive change for future women going through this. It won’t take away their loss but it will give them a little bit of comfort to the pain they are going through. The hospital have promised me a walkthrough but I need to prepare myself for going back in there.”
But she insisted: “My campaign is not done. This doesn’t mean I am going to give up.” She wants to hold the Scottish Government to their pre-election pledge of providing the rooms in all maternity units by the end of 2023. And she is now extending her campaign to Westminster to help bereaved mums in the rest of the UK.
Leah Noble, senior midwife for maternity inpatients at Wishaw, said: “We recognise what a difficult time it is for a patient experiencing a miscarriage or stillbirth. The location in which parents receive care is something that can significantly influence their experience.
“While no facilities can lessen the grief and anguish bereaved parents may feel, we know how important well-designed bereavement rooms and suites are to ensure that appropriate care is delivered in the most sensitive environment possible. Recognising the importance of privacy and grieving in a quiet and protected space, we are moving towards a model where all women who suffer pregnancy loss will be cared for in our O’Hana suite, which will be a soundproofed suite away from the labour ward.
“Future plans will include utilising two other rooms within this area where women will have the choice for them and their families to spend their full journey without the need to go to a labour ward. All care will be provided in this area which will be entered through the early pregnancy assessment unit.
“We have engaged with our internal contractors on soundproofing the area to ensure that these areas are equipped for clinical care. Our completion date has been set for the end of October to allow the work to be carried out.”
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