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🇮🇪 Ireland /Health & Science

Irish women’s birth stories: ‘Women are so vulnerable when they’re pregnant’

From Irish Times · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Ireland’s 10-year maternity strategy is ending after an €80 million investment aimed at improving safety, choice and continuity of care.
  • Women who used midwife-led Domino care describe consistent support before, during and after birth, including home visits after early hospital discharge.
  • The National Women and Infants Health Programme says maternity services have changed significantly, though the article examines whether the strategy fully delivered on its goals.

When Aoife O’Connell became pregnant, she wanted to see the same medical professionals throughout her pregnancy, labour, birth and the period after bringing her baby home. She found that continuity through Domino, a midwifery-led service that supports women before and during birth and visits them at home after an early discharge from hospital.

The Wicklow woman valued appointments close to home, a dedicated phone line and the familiarity of seeing the same midwives. She was also able to use a birthing pool in hospital, which she described as “quite calming and relaxing” and said made the pain more manageable. “Seeing the same faces was so comforting,” she said.

I chose Domino because I could attend appointments close to home.

· Aoife O’ConnellShe explained why she chose the midwife-led continuity-of-care service.

Complications developed late in her labour, and her baby was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit after struggling to breathe. O’Connell said the midwives remained calm and reassuring. They explained that there was a problem while making clear that it was being dealt with. Staff tried to find her a private room, arranged a wheelchair and brought her to the NICU. “Overall, it was a really, really positive experience,” she said.

Seeing the same faces was so comforting.

· Aoife O’ConnellShe described the reassurance she felt during labour.

Her experience comes as Ireland’s first maternity strategy reaches the end of its 10-year lifespan. Launched in 2016 after controversies and safety concerns, the strategy promised to normalise birth, expand women’s choices and standardise services across regions.

Kilian McGrane, national programme director at the National Women and Infants Health Programme, said €80 million had been invested during the strategy’s lifetime. The funding covered maternity services as well as areas including gynaecology and abortion. As the programme assesses what has changed, the experiences of women such as O’Connell provide one measure of whether the strategy’s promise of more personal, consistent care has been met.

Overall, it was a really, really positive experience.

· Aoife O’ConnellShe reflected on the care she received after complications during labour and her baby’s transfer to neonatal intensive care.
About this summary

Originally published by Irish Times. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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