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A mum has revealed that she had no option but to give birth at home with only two paracetamol for pain relief when her local hospital was full.
Eilish McKinney, who lives in Nassington, Northamptonshire was told that her nearest hospital, Peterborough City Hospital, was full on 20 September when she was in labour.
She explained that she was so shocked by the news that she thought it was a 'joke' and said she was 'trying very hard not to push' at that point.
The labouring mum was told that her only option was Leicester Hospital, which was an hour's journey away - a trip she understandably didn't want to risk taking.
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She said she thought: "This baby is actually going to be born at home. This is my worst nightmare.
"At that instant, I'd never felt so sick in all my life as that sheer panic goes through you."
While McKinney was thankfully able to deliver her son Persy without issue thanks to her partner Tom Blackman, she is speaking out against the hospital that 'let us down'.
Blackman said: "She did this with just two paracetamol.
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"That's what I find astonishing - she did it by herself, on the living room sofa because the hospital let us down."
The hospital has released a statement apologising for not being able to provide care on this occasion.
Chief nurse Jo Bennis said on behalf of North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust: "The safety of babies and parents is an absolute priority for us, and occasionally it is sometimes necessary to ask mothers to use alternative maternity units should ours reach capacity."
Sadly, what happened to the mum wasn't an isolated incident, and the NHS is currently facing a crisis that is putting countless lives at risk.
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In August, for example, a 90-year-old woman was left waiting a staggering 40 hours for an ambulance to arrive.
Her ordeal didn't even end when the assistance finally came, as she was then forced to wait in the vehicle for a night until a bed became available at her hospital's A&E.
The woman's son described the system as 'totally broken' after her experience and said she was made to wait until the Tuesday afternoon for help, despite calling the emergency services on 999 on the Sunday night.
Tyla has reached out to North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust for further comment
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