Pregnant women have voiced their concerns over COVID-19 measures at Mater Dei Hospital which prevent their partners from being present in the labour room while they give birth, except for a short moment when the baby is delivered.

As if the stress of giving birth isn’t enough, pregnant women are having to deal with the mental stress of knowing that the child’s father is only allowed in the operating room as the baby is delivered and not before or after birth.

“It is already mentally hard for us all during this difficult time with constant worries about our health and our baby’s health,” a pregnant woman told Lovin Malta.

“It takes a mental toll on us knowing that we are going to have to go through labour alone,” another said.

“Delivering a baby is not a time when a woman should be left alone. Partners/fathers have been trained on how to help the mother cope with the pain of labour via breathing, massages and similar practices. It is also beneficial to have a partner there to discuss, amongst other things, options in regards to pain relief medication you will opt for.”.

“What’s more is that this is such a special time for father too. It is an experience he is missing out from.”

Currently, pregnant women who are due to give birth are being swabbed before entering a hospital and are subsequently admitted to either the COVID positive or non-COVID positive part of the delivery suite according to the results.

Those who undergo a C-section are also subject to swabbing and so is their partner. In this case, if tests are negative ,they are both allowed into the hospital.

“Mothers and fathers are being swabbed before C-section and if both are negative, the father is allowed during birth. But why aren’t the fathers being swabbed before a normal birth?” a pregnant woman questioned.

“If the father tests negative, he should have every right to be present with the mother during the whole delivery. Keep in mind that most fathers have been in strict quarantine with the mother for weeks prior to the delivery. Quarantine is a sacrifice fathers make with the intention to be able to be present for the delivery and also to be available as a support system for the mother during labour.”

“Partners are only allowed during the second stage (pushing stage of labour). This doesn’t make sense at all. Regardless of whether the partner is in there for 10 mins or 10 hours, they’re still exposed to the woman, staff and baby.”

When asked about the precautionary measures put in place with regards to hospital visits, Superintendent Charmaine Gauci defended the no-visitor policy.

“Because we have local transmissions of COVID-19, certain measures have been put into place to reduce the number of people entering, such as relatives or friends, so that we reduce the risk of people spreading the virus inside the hospital,” she said at a press conference earlier today.

In the meantime, a local petition has emerged online campaigning for partners to join women during childbirth and has over 2,250 signatures as of the time of writing.