A new charity dedicated to improving the care, recovery and long-term support of women who become critically ill during pregnancy or after birth will launch on 10 September – pending charity commission approval – the same day as the virtual MBRRACE-UK conference which will discuss findings from the 13th MBRRACE-UK report into maternal deaths.
Meternal, also known as Maternal Critical Care Alliance (MCCA), is being established by experts in maternal critical care in response to growing concerns about maternal mortality, severe maternal illness and the ongoing variation in critical care across the UK.
While maternal deaths remain uncommon, thousands of women experience severe complications every year. Many go on to face physical recovery, emotional trauma, anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress, while families often struggle to understand what has happened and where to turn for help.
Heather Lawrence is one such case. A placental abruption (placenta detaching from the lining of the womb before the baby is born) caused Heather to feel very unwell at 37 weeks, she couldn’t stop being sick. At hospital, a scan revealed the awful news that there was no heartbeat but with no knowledge of why. It was only later they realised that she was critically ill. The room filled with specialists who worked together to save her life.
“Midwives kept saying how lucky I was. If it had happened any other day, there might have been a different outcome, and I didn’t understand why until after. That’s why the launch of the Meternal: MCCA charity is so important. Most of the support we received focussed on the loss of our daughter Aeryn – but my family and I also needed support for the physical trauma, flashbacks and PTSD symptoms surrounding what happened in the room that day.”
Meternal will help women and families by signposting them to specialist support, improving awareness of maternal critical illness, promoting emotional recovery and advocating for better care after discharge from hospital.
The charity is being created to bring together maternity, critical care and the many other health and care professionals involved in caring for critically unwell women, while also supporting women and families recovering from maternal critical illness.
Its launch comes as national reviews continue to call for improvements in maternity care across the UK. The recent AMOS report highlighted the need for NHS maternity teams to work more closely with other specialists, so that women who become seriously unwell during or after pregnancy are recognised sooner and receive the right care without delay.The Ockenden Nottingham Maternity Review5 similarly emphasised the importance of recognising when a pregnant or recently pregnant woman’s health is deteriorating, listening to women and families, and ensuring NHS services can provide multidisciplinary Enhanced Maternal Care when needed.
Meternal hopes to build on these recommendations by bringing healthcare professionals together while ensuring families are not left to cope alone after a life-changing experience.
Meternal co-founder Dr Deborah Horner says: “Behind every statistic is a mother, a baby and a family whose lives have changed forever. Many women tell us the hardest part begins after they leave hospital, when the physical and emotional impact of critical illness really starts to sink in.’
“More than 50% of babies born to mothers needing intensive care also require specialist neonatal care3, so recovery often affects the whole family. We want every woman to know she is not alone, and every family to know where they can find help.”
Alongside supporting families, MCCA will work with health and care professionals to improve education, encourage better teamwork across maternity and critical care services, the wider hospital, pre-hospital care and community and share best practice across the UK.
The charity’s long-term ambition is simple: that every woman has a safe pregnancy and birth, and that every family receives the care and support they need if things do not go to plan.