'What does it say if a woman can't give birth in her own city?'

The trust says it is continuing efforts to recruit consultant obstetricians for Daisy Hill while preparing to temporarily consolidate births and inpatient maternity care at Craigavon from 23 November.

However, mothers in the Newry area say losing local inpatient maternity services would leave families facing longer journeys at a time when they may need urgent care.

"The journey was scary. I was having contractions every five minutes but a midwife from Daisy Hill travelled with me to the Ulster Hospital where I spent four nights, was stabilised and then sent home," Natasha said.

"What does it say if a woman can't give birth in her own city?"

The trust has five vacant obstetrician posts and said it cannot provide a safe maternity service at Daisy Hill without the required medical cover.

Its chief executive Steve Spoerry told Stormont's Health Committee that keeping women and babies safe was its highest priority.

He said the trust would not have enough consultants to staff both maternity units' daytime and out-of-hours rotas, adding that a transfer of services to Craigavon is "highly probable" from next month.

Natasha, whose son Odin was eventually born at Daisy Hill at full term, said her experience showed why having services close to home mattered particularly in rural areas which she believes should be treated differently.

"It's all well and good saying Craigavon is there but they didn't have room for me that night - that is the reality: Craigavon did not have room for one local mum from Newry," Natasha said.

"How are they going to accommodate 1,400 babies and mums in the future?"

Another mother, Seanan Martin, said removing a service was not the answer and that the safety of mothers, babies and staff should be the priority.

She said the workforce challenges should have been planned for years in advance.

Dale Spence, the director of the Royal College of Midwives in Northern Ireland, said to provide the care that women deserve, more midwives were required and that those who are working are feeling overburdened.

Speaking publicly for the first time about the present condition of maternity services, she added that Northern Ireland should not be relying on the goodwill of midwives to keep some services afloat.

Midwives are doing the best they can to provide care for mothers and their babies, Spence said, but the system is under so much pressure that it feels like they are working with their hands tied behind their back.

The trust has been asked how Craigavon will manage approximately 1,400 additional births each year if inpatient maternity services move from Daisy Hill.

It says it is continuing to seek consultant obstetricians for Daisy Hill while preparing continuity arrangements to consolidate births and inpatient maternity care at Craigavon temporarily.

The trust has also acknowledged that, following the withdrawal of emergency general surgery from Daisy Hill in 2024, maternity services introduced a risk-stratification standard operating procedure to support the safe delivery of care.

This means fewer women have been considered suitable for elective Caesarean sections at Daisy Hill, which has had a subsequent decline in overall birth numbers over the past two years.