Women in Cork and Kerry could be denied access to homebirths, warns Cairns

TD Holly Cairns raised the issue in the Dáil and was frustrated by Minister of State, Frank Feighan's answer. Picture: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos

Women living in large areas of West Cork and Kerry could be denied the option of a homebirth if a proposed change to the service goes ahead, a TD has warned.

A HSE recommendation to limit access to homebirths to women living within 30 minutes ‘blue-light’ drive by an ambulance is causing growing concern. 

Over 400 people attended a protest in Cork last Sunday and another is planned for Dublin on Sunday November 20. Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns said women in rural areas are being left out.

“We are getting so much correspondence about this, from so many women. We are inundated,” she said.

The Cork-Kerry region continually has the highest number of homebirths annually.

“The Midwives Association of Ireland and the Community Midwives Association have come out really strongly against the plan,” she said.

It’s a plan that has been made without consultation with them, which is incredible.

“There has been no consultation with women who use the service either.” 

Ms Cairns raised the issue in the Dáil and was frustrated by Minister of State Frank Feighan’s response.

“The minister was saying there is an evidence base, and it is best clinical practice, but it was misleading I think for him to say that without the evidence,” she said.

“I kept saying will you publish that or show us that, because nobody has seen that.” 

In response, he said: “I will raise the matter with the department.”

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Ms Cairns cited one woman who opted for a homebirth for her third child, following a traumatic experience giving birth to her second child en route from West Cork.

“I grew up in West Cork and I know a lot of people who were born in Bandon on the way up to the hospital. That is not an uncommon occurrence,” she said.

She also highlighted midwifery shortages in maternity hospitals.

“Midwives in Tipperary University Hospital warned that the shortages are causing risks to the safety of women and babies,” she said.

“There’s 100 unfilled posts in Munster at the moment, and what is the HSE’s response? To force more families into these overstretched hospitals.” 

The HSE said the recommendation would see 83% of women retain access to homebirths, and that is being done to improve safety.

The Planned Home Births Report by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre found among women who started labour at home, 21.7% were transferred to hospitals during 2018 to 2020.

The most commonly recorded reasons were failure to progress or request by the mother for pain relief, with five cases of hemorrhage, two of cardiac tachycardia, and one suspected sepsis, the report shows.

The renewed focus on safety in the maternity services comes in the wake of three maternal deaths between August 2021 and June this year.

Geraldine Yankeu died having given birth at Cork University Maternity Hospital last year, followed by the death of Tatenda Mukwata after giving birth at University Hospital Kerry in April, and the death of Laura Liston after giving birth at home in Limerick in June.