{"id":685475,"date":"2026-05-22T02:35:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T02:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/685475\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T02:35:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T02:35:18","slug":"roadside-birth-during-hospital-service-disruption-prompts-calls-for-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/685475\/","title":{"rendered":"Roadside birth during hospital service disruption prompts calls for change"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mariah Jackson never thought she would be delivering a baby on the side of a highway \u2014 but that\u2019s exactly what happened on April 19, when her third child was born.<\/p>\n

Jackson said baby Liam will likely hear the story about being delivered next to Trans-Canada Highway marker 242 for the rest of his life.<\/p>\n

She and her partner, Fernando Gonzalez, live only seven minutes from the Upper River Valley Hospital in Waterville.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But they were required to travel to the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton \u2014 over an hour away \u2014 because labour and delivery services at their local hospital were closed that day.<\/p>\n

WATCH | \u2018This shouldn\u2019t happen,\u2019 obstetrics expert says:\"\"<\/p>\n

Roadside birth during obstetrics department closure prompts calls for change<\/p>\n

A woman who was diverted to Fredericton after labour service was suspended at the hospital in Waterville delivered her son on the side of the Trans-Canada Highway. The parents believe there should have been an alternative.<\/p>\n

Although Jackson advised health-care providers before the birth that she usually labours quickly, she said there were no alternate plans or added support offered.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Liam is healthy now, but his parents are speaking out about the experience because it was stressful and scary \u2014 and they believe it shouldn\u2019t have happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m not a nurse, right? I’m a father. I was, I was not gonna let anything happen, or try my best for nothing to go wrong, but I was in shock,\u201d Gonzalez said.<\/p>\n

\"ABaby Liam needed medical attention when he was born on the side of the Trans-Canada Highway. (Submitted by Mariah Jackson)<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he came out \u2026 he was blue, like I just, he was in my hands and like he wasn’t doing anything. I was really scared.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jackson said she felt panicked until paramedics arrived, about 10 minutes after the birth.<\/p>\n

\u201cNeither of us know what to do with that scenario,\u201d she said. \u201cLike, are we doing the right thing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Someone\u2019s going to die,’ MLA says<\/p>\n

Since 2021, Upper River Valley Hospital obstetrics services have been suspended at least once \u2014 and as many as five times \u2014 each year.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Horizon Health Network announced another service disruption at the hospital, which is to last from 8 a.m. on Friday, May 22, until 8 a.m. on Monday, June 1.<\/p>\n

Bill Hogan, the Progressive Conservative MLA representing Woodstock-Hartland, was concerned about the couple\u2019s story.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone\u2019s going to die, a baby and\/or a mother,\u201d he said, speaking to reporters at the legislature.<\/p>\n

Hogan said the story shows health-care system issues aren’t being addressed by government fast enough.<\/p>\n

\"ABill Hogan, the MLA representing Woodstock-Hartland, said the couple’s story shows health system issues aren’t being addressed fast enough. (Ed Hunter\/CBC)<\/p>\n

Horizon Health Network did not make anyone available for an interview about the couple\u2019s story.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dr. Ken Gillespie, the physician lead of the women and children\u2019s health program, said in a statement Horizon is unable to discuss specifics about an individual patient\u2019s care.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recognize that temporary diversions of labour and birth services are deeply unsettling for expectant families, and we take seriously any concern where a patient did not feel they had a clear plan in place,\u201d Gillespie said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a temporary diversion has been confirmed, unit staff directly contact patients who are 35 weeks or more into their pregnancy to notify them of the change and to answer any questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"UpperThe Upper River Valley Hospital in Waterville has seen disruptions in its labour and delivery service every year since 2021. (Jacques Poitras\/CBC)<\/p>\n

Gillespie said any patients \u201cwith concerns about their specific circumstances\u201d should speak to their health-care provider to come up with an individual plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone who goes into labour suddenly or experiences an obstetrical emergency \u2014 as with any medical emergency \u2014 should call 911 immediately or proceed to the nearest emergency department,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThese situations remain extremely rare. Nearly every birth in New Brunswick occurs in hospital under the care of clinical teams, in addition to hospital births and home births that take place under the care of a midwife.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

10 ambulance calls en route to hospital this year<\/p>\n

So far this year, Ambulance New Brunswick has responded to 10 pregnancy-related calls involving patients who were on the way to a hospital.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause our records do not always indicate whether a delivery occurred before arrival at the hospital, we are unable to provide a precise number of births that took place en route,\u201d said spokesperson Kate Jenkins.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn any case, paramedics are trained and equipped to assist with emergency childbirth in a variety of settings when labour progresses more quickly than expected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Lynn Murphy-Kaulbeck worked in labour and delivery in New Brunswick for 20 years and is now president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada.<\/p>\n

\"ADr. Lynn Murphy-Kaulbeck, president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, said New Brunswick needs a dedicated maternal-neonatal transport system. (Submitted by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada)<\/p>\n

\u201cThis shouldn’t happen. We shouldn’t be having, you know, frequent closures of obstetrical units in New Brunswick or anywhere else,\u201d Murphy-Kaulbeck said in an interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we’re seeing is that, when you do close units, it increases stress for women, families and also, you know, increases the risk to those moms that have to travel that long distance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Murphy-Kaulbeck said giving birth while travelling to a hospital can be traumatic for parents.<\/p>\n

Jackson and Gonzalez both said their experience affected their mental health in the weeks that followed.<\/p>\n

WATCH | \u2018People are concerned\u2019:\"\"<\/p>\n

Miramichi hospital labour and delivery services suspended until May 18<\/p>\n

A lack of nursing staff at the Miramichi Regional Hospital means expectant mothers will have to drive to hospitals in Bathurst, Moncton or Fredericton to give birth over the May long weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was really nervous those first couple weeks that, what if something’s wrong? Like, what if they missed something?\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith my other two kids, I was worried, too, but I find this time it was like 1,000 times worse than it was before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Murphy-Kaulbeck said since 2018, she has been advocating for New Brunswick to have a maternal-neonatal transport system \u2014 separate from regular ambulance services.<\/p>\n

\"AAmbulance New Brunswick said paramedics have responded to 10 pregnancy-related calls this year where the person was en route to a hospital. (CBC)<\/p>\n

\u201cComplications can occur on the side of the road, and part of the problem, you know, a big part of that problem, is \u2026 what services are available to get to that woman, if there is a complication?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

“You’re competing with, like I said, all of the other services for ambulance \u2026 If you do not have a dedicated maternal neonatal transport system, then there is no guarantee there is going to be transport available in a timely fashion for, for mom and, or baby.”<\/p>\n

Murphy-Kaulbeck said obstetrics is often not prioritized by government, despite being what she calls a “basic service,” because there are so many different health system issues.<\/p>\n

The province didn’t grant an interview with the health minister on the subject. <\/p>\n

\"ManNew Brunswick Health Minister John Dornan said there’s been a concerted effort to recruit staff to the Upper River Valley Hospital. (Tara King-Stewart\/CBC)<\/p>\n

But in a statement, Health Minister John Dornan said government is pushing to recruit more staff to work in the region. <\/p>\n

“What happened in the\u00a0Upper River Valley is unacceptable and not something we want to see happen to any New Brunswicker,” Dornan said.<\/p>\n

“As of April 14, five permanent physicians and 15 registered nurses have been successfully recruited to Upper River Valley Hospital during the 2025-26 fiscal year.”<\/p>\n

Dornan said the hospital has also added a long-term locum physician, a visiting doctor who fills in when another doctor is off, to family medicine and obstetrics and another to the general surgery team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mariah Jackson never thought she would be delivering a baby on the side of a highway \u2014 but…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":685476,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[49,48,84,392],"class_list":["post-685475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-healthcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=685475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/685476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=685475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=685475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=685475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}