TOP STORY: New mother angry at hospital action

CARLY UDY | 8th January 2007

A Western Bay of Plenty mother is angry she was pressured to go home less than three hours after a "traumatic" labour at Tauranga Hospital.

Stefanie Hendra, who gave birth to second son Luke on December 1, said her stay in Tauranga Hospital was "brief" but would have been even shorter if maternity staff had had their way by sending her home within three hours of birth.

The hospital's eagerness to shuffle Mrs Hendra out was only stopped when her midwife was forced to argue with management for a bed.

The case has highlighted the issue of how soon a mother should be made to leave hospital after birth.

Tauranga Hospital says the length of stay is determined by the needs and health of the mother and baby and can range from six hours to five days. One Tauranga midwife says that provided there are no health problems mother and baby's needs are best served at home.

The birth of Mrs Hendra's second baby lasted an hour but she says it was "stressful".

Exhausted after a night of being in labour she faced the possibility of her second caesarean, with doctors going as far as to prepare the theatre. Luke was born naturally but had a knot in his umbilical cord.

"After giving birth I was exhausted and I could barely walk, I even had to have a wheelchair to get from the delivery theatre to the next room," she recalled.

The Pyes Pa woman said she was distressed when, soon after the birth, staff suggested she go home. Fatigued and feeling like she needed rest and support, Mrs Hendra said she and husband Richard were perplexed at the hospital's wanting to send her home.

"The ward was a busy one and there was a lack of beds. However, the hospital is paid a significant amount to look after mothers and babies and needs to fulfil its obligations to provide a bed for mothers to at least stay one night if they choose," she said.

"I was very thankful for the forthrightness and courage of my midwife, who had to say (to management) that the hospital would have to put me in a hotel room with a member of staff if they were unable to provide a bed.

"Giving birth is traumatic enough without the added stress of wondering whether you will get the support at hand that you need straight afterwards," she said.

Mrs Hendra said Tauranga Hospital needed more maternity rooms and was amazed the city did not have a private birthing unit, when smaller centres such as Matamata did.

A private birthing unit would take some of the stress off Tauranga Hospital. She had no complaints over the staff at the maternity annexe.

Dr Naylin Appanna, an obstetrician and gynaecologist based in Hamilton who runs clinics in Tauranga, said sending mothers home just hours after giving birth was "a little bit concerning" but was also the nature of the system.

"They have a limited number of beds and have to prioritise. They obviously had no real concerns."

He said women generally needed three to four days to recuperate after having a baby and get comfortable with breastfeeding and home was usually the best place.

If needed a midwife could "put her foot down" and ask for a bed at a hospital and it would usually happen, he said. The hospital could provide a bed in another ward if the woman did not need to be in the maternity annex.

Kay Jones, practice manager at the Bay Midwifery Centre, said she felt for Mrs Hendra but the hospital was not the place for rest unless medical or family circumstances prevailed.

When asked whether it was unusual for women to go home just hours after giving birth, Ms Jones said it was not uncommon but not every day either.

She said mothers were likely to get more rest at home as they didn't have to share a room.

"It's all very PC [to say you want to stay] but would you want to do that? You're actually asking for something most women wouldn't cherish anyway.

"It's an urban myth that you lie on a bed with a mohair rug over your lap, with a cup of tea in a china cup while your nurse baths your baby then latches it on to your breast for you," she said.

"The hospital is there for medical help ... The risk of infection is less at home and you have the support of your partner (who isn't allowed to stay over in hospital). [This is] a fault-free situation, it's unpredictable and bad luck. This is how its been since Adam was a boy. Tauranga is no different to anywhere else."

Ms Jones said it was important pregnant women talked over their expectations and the reality of acute post natal time with their midwife before the birth.

Michelle Gray, spokeswoman for Tauranga Hospital, said the District Health Board could not investigate Mrs Hendra's concerns because they had not received a complaint from her.

Mrs Hendra said the only reason she had not lodged a formal complaint was because her midwife had acted as her liaison.

"They [the hospital] talked to me through her. They did send me a survey and on that I complained."

She said she did not put her name on the form because it stipulated not to.

Miss Gray said there were no legal rights over length of stay in the public health system, however, Tauranga Hospital aimed for a stay of 48 hours after an uncomplicated delivery and would not pressure any new mother to leave.

Another hospital spokesperson, Paul Conder, confirmed an upgrade of the maternity annex was part of Project Leo but was not aware of any plans to extend the ward.

He said private birthing units were funded by private individuals.

Southern Cross spokesperson James Norman said he was unaware of any plans by Southern Cross for a private birthing unit in Tauranga saying the organisation's main focus was on private surgery.