Our babies were moved 100 miles away

Andrea and her husband with their son Zak

A computer system to help doctors find the nearest hospital cot for critically ill newborn babies has been launched in England.

Experts hope it will save time and lives as well as reduce the number of babies who are being transferred - sometimes hundreds of miles - between hospitals because of staff or cot shortages.

Andrea Goodwin, aged 43 and from Berkshire, experienced this when she gave birth to twin boys six years ago.

At 28 weeks into her pregnancy, Andrea developed some minor complications and had to be admitted to a local hospital, the John Radcliffe in Oxford.

Two doctors were running around like headless chickens ringing around the country to find a cot Andrea Goodwin

While there, her waters broke, although she was not in labour.

Andrea said she had planned to have her babies at the hospital, but because there were no cots available for her twins when they arrived, she and her unborn babies had to be moved to one that did.

She recalls: "Two doctors were running around like headless chickens ringing around the country to find a cot."

Eventually they found two, but these were 100 miles away at the Wordsley Hospital, in the West Midlands.

Distressing

Andrea said: "I was put in an ambulance and raced up there but I had no idea really where I was going.

"When I got to the hospital I was put into the maternity unit but I was by myself.

"My husband wasn't there. He was at work and didn't know what was going on so I had to call him and tell him. It was horrible."

Andrea went into labour the following day and gave birth to two boys, Nico and Zak.

Sadly, Nico only survived for 10 hours and died in the neonatal unit. Zak survived but had to spend 10 weeks in intensive care.

Andrea recalls that this was an extremely difficult time, both emotionally and logistically.

"I had to pay to stay in a hotel near to the hospital for those 10 weeks. My husband still had to work.

"He used to drive up on a Sunday night, because he had Mondays off, and go back on a Tuesday morning ready for work.

"Emotionally and financially it was a big strain."

Her husband also had to organise to transfer Nico back home to be buried and have a funeral without Andrea there.

Andrea said the distance also meant that some family members could not visit her during this difficult time.

"My mother could not make it because she can't walk. It was too far for her to travel."

She said the cot locating computer system sounded like a good idea, but feared people would still get transferred because of a lack of facilities.

"I've decided not to have another baby after Zak because I was told by my doctor there was a good chance any other baby I have would arrive early and I can't be guaranteed that there will be a cot available locally," she said.