An Aberdare woman who gave birth in the Cessnock Hospital car park has called for the hospital’s maternity ward to be re-opened.
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Emily Teasdale went into labour around 4.30pm on March 30, two weeks before her due date.
About an hour later, her daughter Maci was born in the back of her mum Deanne’s car in the hospital car park.
Emily started having contractions at her mother’s house at Ellalong, and the pair hopped in the car and set off for Maitland Hospital.
They only made it to Bellbird when the expectant mum realised she wasn’t going to make it that far, and they detoured to Cessnock Hospital.
Deanne pulled up and ran into the hospital for help. By the time she came back outside her new granddaughter had arrived.
“The cord had snapped and she was on the ground,” Deanne said.
“I scooped her up, and ran into the emergency department.
“One nurse came with me and the other went straight to Emily.
“Everyone was fantastic, even the security guards helped.”
An experienced doctor who had delivered babies at Cessnock prior to the maternity ward’s closure was on site.
The women said the staff did they best they could with the resources they had, and that Emily was lucky it was an uncomplicated birth.
They agreed that a city the size of Cessnock needed better services for pregnant women.
“I really think that Cessnock needs a maternity ward open again, or at least a couple of people trained in case of an emergency, especially if there are complications,” Emily said.
Cessnock Hospital’s maternity ward closed in May 2003.
Only two local GPs were delivering babies at the time, and many women were choosing to give birth out of town.
Births had dropped from 179 in 1994/95 to about 60 in the year leading up to April 2003.
Sixteen babies have been born in the hospital’s emergency department in the 13 years since the maternity ward closed.
No births were recorded there between January 2012 and November 2015, but there were two emergency births at Cessnock Hospital in more recent times, with one in December 2015 and one in March 2016.
Cessnock Hospital health service manager Jennifer Whiting said the hospital’s emergency department provided 24-hour care should expectant mothers require emergency treatment.
“Cessnock Hospital emergency department nurses have undertaken emergency delivery training and the hospital has the necessary equipment to facilitate emergency deliveries,” Ms Whiting said.
“While Maitland Hospital is the primary facility for maternity services in the Lower Hunter sector, community based post-natal services are offered across the region to help mothers transition home with their newborns.”
