Heavily pregnant mum turned away from hospital

She had to drive 1370km to give birth

November 08 2018

Queensland mum Ali De Strang was heavily pregnant when she presented herself to her local hospital in Central Queensland, but was turned away and told the centre was “for emergencies only.”

The 25-year-old was three centimetres dilated when she went to the hospital at 36 weeks and said doctors gave her drugs to stop labour coming on, according to Nine News.

“I felt like I was having contractions,” she said. “But I was given medication to stop me going into labour.

“Why did they stop me going into labour? He probably would have been a normal sized-baby.”

She then had to travel several hundred kilometres back and forth for check-ups for three weeks until give birth to her baby, who weighed 5.17kg at birth.

Ali said she could have easily had the baby at her nearest hospital in Theodore but the birthing suite was closed.

She was then transported to Biloela Hospital, which is 105km away. She did the 210km round-trip for weekly checks but at 39 weeks, the hospital staff said there was no obstetrics cover and that she would have to drive to Gladstone, 265km away, to give birth.

Her partner was away for work so her mother and young toddler came with her.

“My son was in the room in the labour suite because I had no-one to care for him back home,” she said. Her son was traumatized by the experience and even starting throwing up.

“I should’ve had a caesar but I was never offered one and it was too late,” she said. She also said that travelling, fuel costs and delivery caused a lot of anxiety and that she now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The hospital issued a statement saying that when the facility was re-opened recently that they decided not to offer birthing services due to the remoteness of the facility and lack of senior clinicians.