'Covid isn't going anywhere for a long time and neither is being pregnant'
An Oldcastle-based mum-to-be whose husband was unable to attend a recent scan to find out if their high-risk baby had a heart defect says that the HSE has to change its Covid-19 restrictions for maternity hospitals.
At the start of her pregnancy Laura Brunton and her husband Nicky were informed by doctors that their unborn child was at a higher risk of having a heart defect as their son Zach has a rare congenital cardiac condition, which was diagnosed a day after his birth 19 months ago and to date has necessitated two open heart surgeries.
Despite this, Nicky was not permitted to attend Laura's recent scan in the Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital, where she received the good news that their unborn child is developing normally.
Laura, who is 24 weeks pregnant, said that Nicky's absence from the scan made a stressful situation even worse.
“We decided to go with the Coombe because it is closer to Crumlin. We obviously want the baby to be tested with the best cardiologist after she is born.
“The other day I had to go for my foetal echo scan to look for any heart defects or deformities. I rang the Coombe beforehand to ask if my husband Nicky could come along given our history but they very politely said no.
“I don't blame the Coombe. They were very nice on the day. They were very reassuring and said everything looks okay and when the baby is born they will perform another echo, which is great, but I needed Nicky there. He had to sit out in the car park. The car park was full of daddies waiting for their wives. They were dropping them at the door, kissing them goodbye and then just wandering around waiting for them to finish.”
Laura says that while she understands that the HSE has to impose Covid-19 restrictions at hospitals, “something needs to change” when it comes to important antenatal scans. She has started an online petition to ask the government and the HSE to review its Covid-19 restrictions for antenatal scans and postnatal visits.
“Covid isn't going anywhere for a long time and neither is being pregnant. The two have to be able to go hand in hand in some way shape or form.
“It's just adds to the stress of the whole situation. It's a stressful time as it is because you are worried if everything is okay. For me, I always enjoyed being pregnant and I still enjoy it, but there is definitely an added stress.
“I know this time I am having a section and I know I am going to be four days in hospital, at least. It's the added stress knowing that he won't be there for four days at least. What if sometimes happens? Zach was born fine and then all of sudden got very sick, very quickly. What if the same thing happens again? There is no way I could do it on my own.
“You need someone there and daddies deserve to be there too. The amount of people of people going through pregnancy loss on their own and who then have to go back home and tell their partners.
“If you can go to a pub from next week or go to a soccer game now with other people, I don't see what the difference is in this. By all means do a temperature check on them and make them wear PPE gear. I don't think anyone would have a problem with that. I am not asking for the floodgates to be opened. I don't expect daddies to be in at every appointment but definitely at anomaly scans, daddies should be there and definitely after the birth."
The Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital also issued a statement: "Restrictions continue to be reviewed by all of our hospitals on an ongoing basis throughout this unprecedented pandemic. It remains our sincere hope that visitor restrictions due to Covid 19 will be lifted as soon as is safely possible to do so for patients, their families and all staff."