'The midwives and unit are a tribute to the NHS'

Hannah lives near Malton and is a former foreign correspondent, who has worked for the BBC, The Times, Financial Times and Miami Herald.

IT might seem strange that after 39 hours of contractions, I should admit to having had the perfect birth. Yet I had the kind of experience many women long for but rarely have.

My daughter Azara was born at 2.23pm on Thursday, October 5 in the birthing pool at Malton maternity ward.

She was the only baby to be born that week and if the health bosses have their way she may be one of the last to be born there.

And yet she very nearly wasn't born in Malton at all.

I had the kind of pregnancy that made me the perfect candidate for delivering at the town's maternity unit. Yet, it seemed that as the birth got nearer, my chances of delivering there got slimmer.

Like many other expectant mothers in the Ryedale area, the final months of my pregnancy were beset with unnecessary worry.

I'd been warned that if anything went wrong, I risked being transferred to Scarborough. I'd even had visions of giving birth en-route somewhere along the A64, and having to write The Snooty Fox pub as place of birth on her birth certificate.

Those worries were compounded when I learnt that Malton maternity ward would be closed from Friday evening until Monday morning, meaning if I delivered between those times, it would have to be in Scarborough. It's not the kind of thing you need to hear when you're 36 weeks' pregnant.

Still, we did a test run to Scarborough. The journey along the winding and bumpy roads took over an hour as we were stuck behind a procession of farm machinery. Even without contractions, it was an unpleasant experience.

And once there, my heart sank.

The frenetic ward at Scarborough seemed a world away from the relaxed atmosphere at Malton.

I began to dread every weekend, looking forward to Mondays as much as I used to wait for my birthday. After my due date passed, I paced up and down the stairs, ate curries and went for long walks, following all the old wives' advice to spur on a natural birth, as I was determined to avoid another trip to Scarborough to be induced.

Azara was obviously just as determined. My contractions began the night before an appointment in Scarborough, where I was expecting to be booked in.

By Wednesday evening, I was uncomfortable. By Thursday morning, I was in pain.

At around 5am, I was visited by Janet, the on-call midwife from Malton. She told me to come to the unit when I felt I could no longer cope at home.

We arrived at the maternity ward about three hours' later and for the next six hours, Janet and her colleagues encouraged us to use the entire ward as if it was our own home. And so I staggered along the corridor as I tried to stay on my feet to speed up the labour, or leant against the wall and my husband, greedily sucking at the gas and air. When Janet's colleague Debbie returned from the antenatal clinic, I went into the birthing pool, where about half an hour later, Azara was born.

Twelve hours after my husband and I had left home, we returned there with our beautiful baby daughter home. When I first heard how quickly I would be discharged after given birth, I was worried. But my concerns were allayed by the wonderful post-natal care we received. For the first 10 days of Azara's life, we were visited almost every day by a midwife from Malton and there was always one of them on the end of the phone to offer us a friendly word of advice as we took our first insecure steps as parents.

I am convinced that my experience at Malton helped me have a shorter, less painful labour than had I delivered elsewhere. The midwives and maternity ward are a tribute to the NHS. Unfortunately, it doesn't surprise me that the future of the unit is threatened. But I hope those who are trying to sound the death knell for parental rights in this area realise what they are doing before it is too late.

Health boss says it's not about money

HEALTH chiefs say they cannot afford to pay for a doctor in Malton to give women in labour life-saving treatment because it would cost too much money.

Mothers and their babies who develop complications during birth are rushed to Middlesbrough, York or Scarborough as there is nobody medically trained at the maternity unit.

Acting Scarborough and North East Yorkshire chief executive Ian McInnes said if they employed a trained obstetrician at Malton who deals with pregnancy and childbirth it would bump the delivery bill to £5,600 a birth.

Speaking at a public meeting Mr McInnes said the Trust has over-spent by £14m in the past three years. Under a new four-year turn-around plan they want to stop all deliveries at Malton Hospital, leaving mothers the choice of giving birth at home or in one of the larger hospitals in the NHS Trust's catchment area.

Responding to a worried mother who said this is taking away choices for women in Malton, Mr McInnes said: "There will always be a need for some babies to be transferred if they are born at Malton or at home.

"The proposals to change maternity services will not save any money but it is an issue of safety. If we had an obstetrician-led unit at Malton this would cost the trust £5,600 a birth.

"There is no difference in terms of safety if a mother has her baby at home or she chooses Malton Hospital."

At the meeting of the patient and public involvement forum in Malton on Thursday a dozen mothers and babies turned out to voice their objections to the plans.

They fear that axing deliveries at the hospital will be taking away their choices.

Mr McInnes told them: "Everybody will get a chance to be involved in the consultation process regarding the change to maternity services.

"Whatever the outcome there will always be ante-natal and post-natal care at Malton Hospital - that will never change."

Malton's mayor Jane Ford, who is backing the Gazette's campaign, was at the meeting.

She said: "I don't care what they say but this has everything to do with cost.

"If it was about the safety of the mother and baby why are they proposing it at a time when they have to save every penny they can?

"At a time when Malton and Norton are growing they should be investing in the local hospital, not starving it of funds."