Giving Birth Minutes Before Lockdown - New Mum Describes Her 16 Day Ordeal In Hospital

Traumatic birth stories during lockdown are now emerging with Jacinda Ardern acknowledging in yesterday's press conference that there is a need to address the harm caused by lockdown, adding that "no one should give birth alone" and "everyone should have a support person with them through that experience."

There are now growing concerns for the 6000 kiwi women who gave birth during lockdown with reduced support, placing them at high risk for developing trauma-related illnesses such as depression, anxiety and PTSD, mental experts say.

Mothers Helpers Founder Kristina Paterson is urging the government to provide funded therapy for these women: "Our Government has been doing a tremendous job at spending on economic, business and workplace issues that have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, but one issue that has not been addressed is the traumatic affect of giving birth while the country is in lockdown."

Blenheim local Larissa Friend describes her birth experience during lockdown as traumatising. While the rest of the country was panic-buying in Level 3 and preparing for lockdown Alert Level 4, Larissa was admitted to Wellington hospital at 36 weeks pregnant when it was discovered she'd been slowly leaking amniotic fluid for weeks. After 5 days of hospital bedrest, little Theodore was born by emergency cesarean section 38 minutes prior to the country locking down.

The 5 days leading up to lockdown, Larissa said "the rules [about] support people changed daily but we were never given any information... it was scary. We didn't know what was happening and what this meant for us and our babies."

During labour, Larissa's body had developed sepsis in response to an infection, and she had to undergo an emergency cesarean. Larissa said that while her baby Theodore went off to NICU, her husband Brook was only permitted to stay for 3 hours and the whole time staff were asking when he would be leaving: "It was heartbreaking not having him there, and it was also hard for him. He felt like his parental rights had been stripped as he couldn't visit his son."

Consequently, Theodore spent 18 hours alone in NICU as Larissa could not visit without the help of staff who said they were too busy to take her. Larissa felt increasingly distressed with next to no communication about the medical care Theodore was receiving or the progress he was making.

"I get so upset whenever I think about his first week. I feel like they stole [our] chance to make some positive memories. I will never get back the opportunity to bond together as a family in the early days. We didn't get to sit around his cot and discuss what name suits his personality. My husband wasn't able to give me a cuddle when everything seemed overwhelming. I felt alone."

Larissa and Theodore were finally reunited with Brook 10 days after Theodore's birth. Larissa says this experience has definitely affected her mental health.

Women who are pregnant or have a young baby and feeling distressed can contact Mothers Helpers for support on 0800-002-717.

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