East Yorkshire mum calls for more support for women who gave birth during COVID

An East Yorkshire mum's calling for more support for women who gave birth during COVID saying she still suffers from the trauma of being alone.

Megan from Hessle struggled with the idea of giving birth on the labour ward with her second child because of a bad past experience.

She tells us midwives need to reach out more to help women mentally prepare, she said:

"I didn’t know I felt that way until I was in the hospital, I was thinking I cant have my baby here. The midwife had to ring my husband because it was in the middle of the night telling him to come saying she’s terrified.”

Megan suffered postnatal complications and was in and out of hospital. She says even having to travel to midwife appointments took its toll on her wellbeing.

She said: "“There wasn’t enough midwives to do the home visits so my husband had to take us which we then had got re-admitted to hospital anyway. After leaving hospital the second time following my corrective surgery, you start the process again so you have your five day and ten day check, after that there’s nothing.”

"As soon as I came home and was discharged that was it, no one rang to ask how I was getting on."

As part of maternal mental health week - local NHS trusts are urging people to speak up if they're feeling anxious.

Leanne Ellis, Perinatal Mental Health Midwife, Hull University Teaching Hospital, said:

"Having a baby is a big life event, and it’s natural for people to experience a range of emotions and reactions during and after their pregnancy. But if this starts to have an impact on how you live your life, you might be experiencing a mental health problem.

"When you conceive or when the new baby arrives, there’s an expectation you should be happy and excited, however it’s estimated one in five will experience a mental health problem.”

You can access more information here