Josh Newbury

It is an honour to speak in this debate, which is always so powerful. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Rossendale and Darwen (Andy MacNae) for leading it so sensitively. There are few things that compare to the joy of knowing that you are about to become a parent—you consider names and imagine the future, and those little things in life suddenly take on a whole new meaning—but for some families, there is a moment when all of that changes, and a future that was so full of possibility is filled with uncertainty and grief. My constituents Phil and Emma were brave and generous in sharing their experiences with me and my team. Emma’s story is one of repeated pregnancy loss, difficult childbirth experiences, and not receiving the care and support she needed. I will share Emma’s story in her own words. I warn hon. Members that Emma describes her experience of miscarriage in harrowing detail. She told me this: “Our story of pregnancy loss started back in March 2019. I booked a GP appointment after continually bleeding for three weeks. No pregnancy test was offered, and I was told to monitor the bleeding. After fainting at work from persistent blood loss, I visited the Samuel Johnson walk-in centre and I was given a routine pregnancy test, which came back positive.” Emma’s first miscarriage was followed by another pregnancy in February 2020, during the pandemic. She described the anxiety of attending appointments alone, without her husband, after her previous experience of loss. She went on to give birth to her daughter Alice, but the difficulties did not end there. Following Emma’s discharge, she developed an infection and was passed between three hospitals. She described being physically weak, emotionally struggling, and without the support she needed. After experiencing birth trauma, Emma and Phil were understandably nervous about having another child, but in March this year, they discovered that they were expecting again, and were excited about the possibility of a positive experience. Emma wrote: “I had an in-person eight-week midwife check on 19 March and was advised I needed birth trauma counselling, which I welcomed as it finally felt as though somebody was listening and cared about my past experiences.” But, at 11 weeks, Emma began spotting. She knew that she needed help quickly. She called the early pregnancy unit at New Cross hospital eight times before her call was answered. Despite her concerns, she was offered an appointment several days later. A private scan confirmed that the pregnancy was no longer viable, but the hospital could not bring her appointment forward. Emma described what happened next: “When we attended New Cross EPU on 14th April, we had to sit in the same scan room as pregnant women and ironically were taken into the same room where my first pregnancy was confirmed as a miscarriage.” Despite the findings, Emma was told she needed another scan in 10 days. She was sent home without pain relief, follow-up appointments or even a number to call for help. Just three days later, Emma experienced a devastating medical emergency at home. She said: “I went to the toilet, and found I had haemorrhaged completely through my clothing. I was scared and alone.” Emma passed out and was found in a pool of blood by her mother, who called 999. After waiting for 45 minutes, the ambulance service called back to say that Emma would have to make her own way to hospital. Her husband struggled to get her into the car and drive her to New Cross. When they arrived, the staff had not been informed of her situation. Emma describes the experience: “My husband at this point pleaded with the staff for me to be seen. He had to explain multiple times what had happened, all whilst I was bleeding heavily.” Eventually, Emma was taken into a treatment room, where her blood pressure dropped dramatically low and she lost consciousness. She was taken to intensive care, where staff discussed blood transfusions and emergency treatment. Emma is clear that the staff who cared for her that day were wonderful, but her experience leading up to that point raises questions about the support available to women experiencing pregnancy loss and medical emergencies. Emma was discharged with blood-thinning injections but no emotional support or follow-up appointments. She sought help for her mental health, only to be told that miscarriage was “just something that happens”, and was given an NHS talking therapies leaflet. She eventually contacted Tommy’s, where she finally felt listened to and supported. Emma also raised a wider concern about how pregnancy loss is counted and recognised. She said: “Despite the fact I have had two miscarriages, because I had a healthy pregnancy in the middle of these, my count will reset to one, almost rendering my first miscarriage as forgotten and pointless.” Emma’s story highlights the physical and emotional impact of pregnancy loss, the importance of timely and compassionate care and the need to consider the experiences of partners and families alongside those of women themselves. I want to finish by returning to Emma’s words: “Emotionally, it is an incredibly difficult time, but physically the pain women go through is totally underestimated. We want change for women’s health, change for partners’ support, and change for all families that have had to experience any maternity issues or baby loss.” It was so encouraging to see the Government introduce two weeks of unpaid leave for those who experience pregnancy loss, in any form and at any stage, and I am proud of the ambition set out in the women’s health strategy, but we now need to move as quickly as we can to ensure that every woman has access to high-quality miscarriage care and bereavement support, regardless of whether she lives in Cannock Chase, rural Northumberland or central London. No family should have to find out that the support available to them depends on their postcode. We have made important progress, and now we need to make sure that that progress is felt by every woman and every family who experience the heartbreak of losing their baby.