For mother-to-be Harriet Knight, the suspension of maternity services at one of England’s most remote hospitals means having to face horribly stark choices.
“The next closest maternity unit is a full two hours away and we have a family history of labour taking under two hours from start to finish,” said Knight.
“So we have the option of potentially giving birth in a layby on the north Devon link road as we try to get there or opting for free-birthing at home with no access to maternity care.”
Mothers in labour will have to trek to Exeter or Taunton, at least an hour and a half away, but usually more, especially at this time of year when the roads are thick with holiday traffic.
“It feels there is no safe option at the moment,” said Knight, who is 34 weeks pregnant. “We live in one of the most rural places in the country and this has left pregnant mothers in north Devon in a really scary situation. It feels like a complete failure by the hospital trust.”
One option she and her partner are considering is spending all their savings on temporary accommodation in Exeter as her due day approaches. “Moving out may be the only thing we can do to keep us safe,” Knight said.
Hannah Rulton, who is expecting her third baby in November, is to undergo a caesarean section because during her second labour she and her child suffered severe shoulder dystocia, an obstetric emergency in which the baby’s head is delivered, but the shoulder gets stuck behind the mother’s pubic bone.
“He was stuck for 11 minutes. Both my son and I very nearly died. The trauma of that birth has never left us. Every appointment during this pregnancy has brought back memories,” she said.
“I have been told there is a significant chance of shoulder dystocia occurring again and what now keeps me awake at night is the fear of going into labour before my planned surgery. The thought of making that journey knowing I have a history of one of the most time-critical obstetric emergencies imaginable is absolutely terrifying."
Source: The Guardian, 10 August 2026
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