We Were Not Treated As Parents, Covid Inquiry Told

A mother of premature twins has told nan Covid enquiry she did not consciousness for illustration she was treated arsenic a genitor aft giving commencement successful nan early stages of nan pandemic.

Tamsin Mullen said she was kept successful a broadside room for 27 hours aft giving commencement by caesarean conception while her sons were taken to neonatal intensive care.

She said “rigid” visiting restrictions meant that, for nan adjacent month, only 1 genitor was allowed to sojourn her newborn babies astatine a time.

"We needed nan infirmary to understand we were a family," she told nan inquiry.

The Covid enquiry has been taking grounds astir nan effect connected maternity services arsenic portion of its 3rd section, aliases module, which is investigating nan effect connected nan NHS and healthcare.

Ms Mullen, a mother of three, was giving first-hand "impact" grounds connected behalf of 13 pregnancy, babe and genitor organisations.

She recovered retired she was expecting copy boys successful 2019 and was considered high-risk. When pregnant pinch her first child, she was diagnosed pinch preeclampsia - a information which tin origin precocious humor unit and lead to superior complications.

Her gestation was being monitored intimately pinch scans each week because of concerns astir nan improvement of 1 of nan babies.

Initially she said her hubby was capable to travel pinch her to scanning appointments, but arsenic Covid dispersed successful March 2020, he was forced to hold successful nan car parkland extracurricular aft driving 50 miles from their location to nan nearest hospital.

“It was conscionable earlier nan first lockdown came into effect," she said.

“I was very nervous. It was very difficult to do that unsocial knowing [the pregnancy] was high-risk.”

In April 2020, Ms Mullen’s 2 sons were calved prematurely, astatine 34 weeks, by caesarean section.

Her hubby was capable to beryllium pinch her successful nan operating theatre and past successful nan betterment room for an hour, earlier being told Covid restrictions meant he had to leave.

Their 2 young boys past spent a full of 31 days successful neonatal intensive attraction earlier they could beryllium discharged.

Ms Mullen said Covid restrictions meant only 1 genitor could beryllium pinch them astatine a time, moreover aft they had been moved to a azygous room distant from different babies.

The infirmary had unopen disconnected entree to broadside rooms utilized for breastfeeding and Ms Mullen said she was told to usage a toilet to definitive milk, thing she did not want to do because of nan infection risk.

She said nan restrictions were “baffling” erstwhile some parents lived together and were driving to infirmary each greeting successful nan aforesaid car.

She was looking aft some babies by herself successful intensive attraction erstwhile infirmary unit from extracurricular nan portion told her they had tested affirmative for a bacterial infection called MRSA.

“I was holding our boy who was connected oxygen astatine nan time,” she said.

“I was successful a authorities of daze truthful didn’t really opportunity very much. They [the staff] near maine and I was location connected my own.

“I didn’t cognize what it each meant, truthful I really panicked.”

Later a expert explained nan shape of MRSA progressive was a little superior type that could beryllium treated pinch soap and water.

"We didn’t consciousness for illustration we were being treated arsenic parents. It was for illustration we were visitors, and we were visiting 2 patients," she said.

The enquiry later heard from Jenny Ward, nan main executive of nan Lullaby Trust, who chairs nan gestation and babe charities network.

She said that, earlier Covid, astir parents would person had 24/7 unrestricted entree to their young children successful neonatal intensive care.

It was not until April 2022 successful England and Scotland, and May 2022 successful Wales, that nan guidance reverted back.

She said nan determination to suspend visiting from March 2020 for a ample number of maternity services had been “hugely damaging”.

Restrictions during antenatal scans had a peculiarly antagonistic effect connected immoderate women who had to person bad news astir nan wellness of their babe connected their own, she added.

For overmuch of nan pandemic, pregnant women were often told they were only allowed to person a birthing partner coming erstwhile successful alleged “active” labour.

As a result, immoderate were near unsocial successful individual birthing rooms without anyone other to “advocate for them, to opportunity they look to beryllium successful utmost pain”, Ms Ward told nan inquiry.

After giving birth, others had to retrieve from room successful infirmary while looking aft a newborn babe without their partners capable to beryllium present.