A MOTHER has shared her experience of giving birth at the John Radcliffe during the coronavirus pandemic to reassure ‘nervous’ women due soon.

Daisie Whitford had her second son Charlie on the Spires Ward at the hospital on Tuesday and revealed there was very little difference to the last time she was pregnant.

She said: "My husband was allowed in to the ward 15 minutes after my arrival/establishing that I was far along enough to stay and have our baby.

"When I was transferred downstairs he was allowed to stay with us and look after our son while an amazing team took care of me. He was then allowed to stay for an hour once I was out of theatre."

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She was discharged the following afternoon, adding:"It was obviously not nice being on my own during the day after experiencing what it was like with my husband being there for me with our first son a couple of years ago but I can honestly say that the staff are just as attentive probably more so to your needs.

"The care I have received from every department I saw was second to none and more importantly I felt safe and protected from the virus at every stage/ward."

The mum-of-two's experience comes as Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) has reminded pregnant women in Oxfordshire medical help is still at hand.

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Catherine Greenwood, Consultant Obstetrician and Clinical Director for Maternity at the trust, said: “As we can all understand, many people have anxieties around their health during this very unusual time - especially pregnant women.

"Some women may feel afraid to leave their homes to attend appointments or to come to hospital as they have concerns around getting Covid-19.

"Similarly, we have heard reports of some women not attending appointments because they don’t want to overburden the NHS.

"We want to remind women not only that care is still available, but that it is actually really important that they stay in contact with their maternity team and attend their scheduled appointments."

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Miss Greenwood said measures were in place to ensure safety and appointments would be done remotely where possible. Usual high-risk antenatal clinics are running at the Horton and JR, as well as ultrasound departments at both hospitals.

Antenatal classes are not running in person at present, however our midwifery teams are running childbirth and ‘Ask the Midwife; sessions using Facebook live from their Oxfordshire Maternity Voices Partnership page.