More neonatal beds needed says Moira mum

Davina Greer, who sadly lost one of the triplets, Harry, through an infection, got first hand experience of the lack of neonatal beds in Northern Ireland when her babies were born on August 7, 2006.

Already a mother-of-two Davina discovered she was having triplets early into her pregnancy and was referred to the Royal Jubliee Maternity Hospital in Belfast.

Davina, 32, says that at no time was she warned when she was carrying her triplets that if she went into premature labour that her babies would be born outside Northern Ireland.

At 16 weeks she was booked into the Royal, where she expected her babies would be born.

From 24 weeks Davina started going in and out of labour and for the next few weeks she made frequent trips to the emergency department at the maternity hospital and at 27 weeks was admitted with contractions.

Staff at the Royal had to tell her they did not have room to cater for the triplets and she would have to go elsewhere.

Despite trying every hospital in Ireland, both north and south, medical staff could not get three neonatal cots available together. Using their Critical Care Transport Service Davina and her husband, with a single midwife, were taken to Scotland on a private plane to the Princess Royal Maternity in Glasgow where she was given drugs to restrict the labour.

She was given just two hours notice to get her other two children Matthew then (3) and William (7), cared for and their bags packed.

"Never did I think or was I told during my pregnancy that I would have to go to Scotland to have my babies delivered," she said.

"We had absolutely no idea. Then when we got to Scotland we were left to our own devices."

When they got to Scotland, a specialist scan revealed the oxygen and blood flow going to one of babies was being restricted and on August 7 Davina had an emergency C-Section, giving birth to Charlie who was born first weighing 2lb, then Owen at 2lb 2 and Harry was 1lb 12. The boys were ventilated and taken immediately to intensive care.

Harry however developed an infection and further complications such as NEC - an infection of the bowels found in many premature babies. He died at just 23 days old.

As well as dealing with all the trauma, and two other critically ill babies, the family had the difficult task of finding themselves accommodation. So desperate were they that they had to turn to the media to get accommodation.

Accommodation was found but Davina, who was still recovering from a caesarian, had to walk five miles each day to get into the hospital to see her babies, to save money.

"We were left completely to our own devices," she said. "We were dealing with three critically ill babies and as well as that trauma, we had to find somewhere to stay.

"It was a nightmare. Someone should have been there to help us. It was ridiculous. There was no liaison officer, nothing. Whatever the circumstances when there is a high risk multiple birth someone should should have warned us that something like this could have happened and someone should have been there to help us. We did not even know how to bring Harry home "

The two other children were eventually taken back to the Royal in Belfast and then transferred for a third time, to Craigavon.

Within weeks Owen was allowed home and four weeks later Charlie also finally came home.

From her experience Davina knows only too well how understaffed neonatal units are and has backed the campaign.