A shortage of staff at North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple, UK, has led to the closure of its birthing wing, forcing expectant mothers to travel over an hour and a half to Exeter for childbirth services. This situation has prompted a local antenatal teacher to offer classes on how to give birth in a car, a move that has drawn criticism from some mothers who have experienced traumatic roadside births.
Around 300 women who are at least 34 weeks pregnant or are considered high-risk patients have been advised to make alternative arrangements due to the closure. The new classes are designed to guide expectant parents through delivering a baby in a vehicle, whether parked on a roadside or during transit.
Catherine Mchomvu, an antenatal teacher leading these sessions, stated that the goal is to "create the birth environment that you would normally have in the hospital or at home, in your car." However, this initiative comes as hundreds of mothers in the Barnstaple area protested the hospital's decision.
Lib Dem MP for North Devon, Ian Roome, described the situation as "unacceptable."
Three mothers have shared their intense experiences of giving birth unexpectedly in cars.
Laura Luke, 39, recounted how her daughter Hollie was born on New Year's Eve in 2020 on the driveway of a nearby farm. Waking with contractions, Luke and her husband Ashley left their home, but within minutes, she realized the birth was imminent. Ashley pulled into a farm driveway as Laura gave birth in the passenger seat, with a horse named Randolph observing the event. Ashley managed to catch the baby as paramedics were on their way. The experience was described as surreal but calm, though the aftermath involved difficulties in registering the baby's birth and cleaning the car, which she likened to a "murder scene."
Amber Campbell, 48, gave birth to her son in September 2014 on the roadside outside St. Mary's Hospital in London. Due to a previous quick labor and gestational diabetes, she had been concerned about a repeat. While en route to the hospital, a roadblock and a roundabout detour by her husband led to her waters breaking and her crowning in the car. Left alone when her husband went for help, Campbell instinctively delivered her son, untangling the umbilical cord from his neck. She described a profound sense of connection with her baby in the moments before medical help arrived. The birth certificate later listed the street outside the hospital as the place of birth.
Gemma Moroney, 45, experienced a rapid labor with her daughter two years after her first son's lengthy induction. While traveling with her mother-in-law, they faced traffic delays, including being stuck behind a bus, and took a wrong turn that nearly led them to a prison. Moroney ended up giving birth on the car park floor outside the hospital as her mother-in-law flagged down an ambulance. Paramedics attended to her, and she recalled being angry about her pedicure being ruined on the tarmac. The incident left her mother-in-law traumatized, and her daughter is now affectionately called the "the car park drama queen."