I have to confess, I’m no earth mother. All notions of the waterbirth I had envisaged went out of the window pretty quickly during my 72 hour back to back and very painful labour, firstly at home and then in my local hospital, Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.  As did the tens machine. What I did have with me throughout was my husband. He was of varying use if I’m perfectly honest, but even the thought of going through all that without him makes me shudder.

Yet this is sadly the story of countless mothers I’ve spoken to who have been pregnant or become a new mum during this pandemic. Most mothers have a tale of childbirth trauma, but the difference pre-Covid19 was that it was a joint endeavour with your partner, friend or husband, who is (you would hope) with you throughout. There are so many stories of disaster averted because Mum – in irrationalising pain – had someone there to advocate on their behalf.

The impact of facing labour alone doesn’t just start with labour pains. As if the underlying gnawing awareness of nurturing and delivering a new life into the world in the middle of a global pandemic isn’t enough, the prospect of having to face going into labour alone hangs over the pregnancy like a looming black cloud. Women having to attend ante-natal appointments alone, and in the worst cases, receiving devastating news about their unborn baby alone. We know that, sadly, stress and anxiety during pregnancy is associated with a wide range of negative outcomes for the child, both immediately after birth and through to adolescence and adulthood.

Emerging evidence also suggests a worrying increase in stillbirths during the pandemic. A study undertaken by Asma Khalil, an obstetrician at St George’s University of London, reported a fourfold increase in still births at the hospital between February and mid-June. In Scotland, the rate of stillbirths in July was six per 1,000 births compared to 3.8 in 2019 and 2.6 in 2018. We don’t know yet if this is replicated elsewhere or why exactly it has happened, but reluctance to attend hospital appointments alone may be playing a part.

When it comes to being in labour it matters that mums to be feel safe and secure. Whilst a hospital birth can replace, bypass and synthetically produce the hormones and biological processes needed to deliver a baby, we should still be doing our absolute most to create an environment where those natural processes can kick in. Whilst some labours will inevitably end in a surgical delivery, and rightly so for the safety of mother and baby, everything possible should be done to avoid it. Surely that has to start with being able to hold the hand of a supportive birth partner throughout.

I am acutely aware of the challenges faced by hospitals during this pandemic, and the heroic caring that is being delivered day and night. Yet through my work as Chair of the Petitions Committee, I am also painfully aware that the needs of pregnant and new mums have been almost entirely overlooked. The 23 recommendations that my committee made to Government to provide much needed support to new mums were almost all rejected.

The Government has at least acknowledged this issue of birth partners being given hospital access, recently issuing new guidance to encourage making it more possible. Yet many hospitals are still skirting round the edges, and whilst claiming that birth partners are allowed in scans and during labour, on reading the small print it is quickly obvious that the window of access is actually rather small.

Having someone you love and trust with you when going into labour is not a nice to have. It’s been a requirement for centuries. The evidence to support it going out the window because we are in a pandemic does not stack up. Rather, the evidence for reinstating access is overwhelming.

The Government is keen on saying it will do whatever it takes. Well, put testing in place, increase PPE, put restrictions on movement once in the hospital and temperature checks at the door. It won’t be the hospitals picking up the pieces once mum and baby have been discharged and it shouldn’t be their decision alone to take. It’s time the Government stepped up as this couldn’t be more pressing. No more women should have to endure a long and painful labour, or even face the prospect of it, alone.