Women affected by the Devon maternity scandal say they are being sent home from hospital without any help to breastfeed their newborn babies.
Birthing services at Barnstaple's North Devon District Hospital were suspended in August due to staff shortages, leaving women to make the two-hour-long drive to Exeter to have their babies. Three months on, the Mirror has learnt some mums are being discharged before being taught how to breastfeed independently.
Under NHS guidelines, healthcare professionals must complete a formal breastfeeding assessment before a mother and baby can leave hospital. This is used to confirm the baby is attaching and positioning effectively at the breast, the mum can recognise the signs of effective feeding, and the baby is showing clear indicators of adequate milk intake.
Mothers describe being sent home without support
But the Mirror has spoken to several women who say they were left traumatised after being sent home unable to breastfeed. One mum, who wants to remain anonymous, told how her little boy developed jaundice due to a lack of milk.
She said: “After I gave birth, the midwives were very hands on with getting him to latch, but they didn’t show me how to do it myself. Because they’d seen him feed, they said I could go home, but I didn’t know what I was doing.
“A few days later I saw the midwife and she said he had jaundice, caused by me not feeding him enough or properly. I was then told I wouldn’t be able to breastfeed, it was unreasonable to think I would be able to, and the midwife insinuated it was selfish for me to try. I was made to feel like I had been neglecting my baby and I didn’t deserve to have him.”
Another mum moved to Taunton faces similar ordeal
Another mum, who was moved to Taunton after a lengthy wait to be induced at Exeter, was left in a similar situation. “After a traumatic birth via C-section, I tried to breastfeed but was really struggling. I asked for help but didn’t get it, and was sent home not knowing what I was doing,” she said. “This was very upsetting and traumatic as I had always planned to breastfeed.
“I had to call on the help of a local volunteer antenatal teacher, who gave up a day of her annual leave to come and help me. In the end it was a very straightforward fix and took just an hour to get me feeding confidently - I should never have been left in this position and am really worried for other mums.”
Antenatal teacher reports rise in cases
Local antenatal teacher Catherine Mchomvu has supported 11 women with breastfeeding this week alone. She said: “I'm seeing more and more women discharged from hospital not effectively breastfeeding.
“They [staff] are doing a tick-box exercise to say they've observed the baby feed; therefore, the mum is fine to go home. There is a lot of leaning on bottle feeding and formula feeding as an alternative to working on breastfeeding, so what I'm seeing is a lot of sore breasts and nipple trauma and the emotional trauma that goes with it because these women desperately want to breastfeed and they just can't.”
Women say it feels as though they're on a conveyor belt that they can't get off - that they are being pushed along the line and the next woman is coming in behind them. The trust is not only failing to help women breastfeed, but they also seem unable to direct them to where they can get that help - they're just saying bottle feed. That makes it incredibly challenging.
“I've seen 11 women this week alone - one woman I've seen five times this week. In terms of postnatal physical recovery, women are sore, they're hurting and they're being discharged with very little reassurance about their recovery and what to expect.”
A spokesperson for North Devon District Hospital said: “We are sorry to hear about the experiences described and would encourage anyone who has concerns about the care they or their baby received to contact us directly so that we can look into their individual circumstances.
“Supporting women and their babies to feed safely and confidently is an important part of postnatal care. Before discharge, mothers and babies should receive appropriate feeding support and assessment, with any concerns identified and followed up. If there are concerns about feeding or a baby’s wellbeing after discharge, we would encourage families to contact their community midwife for further advice and support.
“During the temporary suspension of birthing services at North Devon District Hospital, community midwifery and postnatal care continue to be provided in North Devon. We have also established a Newborn Outpatient Clinic locally, which can provide support with infant feeding, jaundice checks and baby weighing. We recognise the additional challenges these temporary arrangements can create for families and remain committed to ensuring women and babies can access the support they need.”
