Hong Kong parents and health experts have questioned the public hospitals’ blanket ban that took effect on December 2. Two online petitions want partners who test negative for Covid-19 to be allowed to attend the births of their babies.

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However, authorities say the measures are necessary to control the latest surge in Covid-19 cases. The Hospital Authority, which oversees all public hospitals, told the Post it was necessary to reinstate the ban “for the safety of inpatients and health care staff”.

The ban on husbands or partners in the delivery room was first introduced earlier in the year and lifted in September when Covid-19 cases eased, but was reintroduced after the city was hit by a fourth wave of infections last month.

As of Friday, Hong Kong had recorded 7,969 Covid-19 cases, with 129 related deaths.

The Hospital Authority says it will monitor the situation closely before deciding whether to resume allowing fathers in delivery rooms.

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However, unhappy parents point out that while the ban has returned to public hospitals, private hospitals still allow fathers to be present.

Many cannot afford the privilege, as private hospitals charge above HK$60,000 (US$8,000) for deliveries, compared to between HK$300 and HK$1,500 for Hong Kong identity card holders at a public hospital.

Mums-to-be and others say if private hospitals can allow it, public hospitals should too.

“In private hospitals, women are routinely allowed to have their partners with them during labour. That indicates there are precautions that can be taken,” says midwife Sofie Jacobs, founder of mothers support group Urban Hatch.

She started an online petition last week asking for partners who clear a rapid Covid-19 test to be allowed in the delivery room, and it drew more than 400 signatures in a week. A similar petition that began in April attracted more than 5,300 signatures.

Jacobs says women counting on having their partners with them may feel added anxiety with the ban in place, and the stress could have a negative impact on both the progress of labour and the childbirth itself.

A study co-authored by Dr Amelia P.W. Hui that was published in the Hong Kong Medical Journal last month noted an increase in postnatal depression among women who gave birth at Queen Mary Hospital between January and April this year. It said the ban on partners in the delivery room might have been among the reasons.

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The study also found that fewer women gave birth at the public hospital over that period than the number who booked to have their babies there, suggesting that some may have decided to go to private hospitals instead.

Pregnant, afraid of getting infected

The pandemic has also left pregnant women worrying about what will happen if they or their babies test positive for Covid-19.

“That is one of my biggest fears right now,” says yoga instructor Holly Wong, 36, who is pregnant with her second child.

She says the pandemic has made her second pregnancy more difficult to cope with than the first one.

“The last time, I was just focused on how the pregnancy was going,” she says. “This time, there are a lot more layers of complications to consider.”

A Hospital Authority spokesman told the Post that a Covid-19 positive mother would be separated from her baby and treated in isolation facilities if the infant was not infected.

If both mother and baby tested positive, he added, “hospitals will consider arranging patients in the same isolation facility, subject to assessment of the patients’ clinical conditions”.

There have been at least five confirmed cases of pregnant women in Hong Kong being infected. The World Health Organization says some pregnant women have an increased risk of developing severe Covid-19.

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According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, pregnant women with Covid-19 are less likely to have symptoms, but more likely to need intensive care if they become severely ill and more likely to give birth prematurely too.

For some, money problems too

The pandemic has taken its toll on expectant mums in other ways too.

Danielle Wong became so anxious from travelling an hour each way in crowded MTR trains from her home in Sheung Wan to work at a kindergarten in Tsuen Wan, that her doctor had her start maternity leave early.

She has been staying at home more, to avoid going out to crowded places.

“It has definitely been isolating. I have a lot of days when I feel down because I don‘t have the support of meeting friends or being able to go out to exercise or get some sun,” she says.

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Regular calls to her family in Australia help, although she says: “I’ve had many crying phone calls to my mum back home.”

Holly Wong lost her job right after she found out she was pregnant again. The yoga centre she worked for let her go because business was hit hard by the pandemic.

“Finding out I was having a second baby and being out of a job added to the financial pressure, especially as my husband is a pilot,” says the Hongkonger.

Her husband works for Cathay Pacific and the new contract he signed would mean reduced pay and benefits under the airline’s restructuring exercise which also saw 5,900 employees being laid off.

Wong says she would have had her baby at Queen Mary Hospital, where her son was born, but not if her husband cannot be with her during the birth.

With the baby due on January 6, she will be going to the private Matilda Hospital instead, where a delivery package costs HK$60,000 (US$8,000), but could increase to HK$112,00 if she needs an emergency Caesarian section.

“This is a profound event in your life, especially if you are a first-time mum. Having a birth partner is crucial,” she says.

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Chinese-Canadian Dee Cheung, 35, an insurance company manager, understands the anxiety of mothers like Danielle Wong and Holly Wong.

Her Irish husband, business owner Ciaran Hussey, 39, was present when their daughter Mya was born in 2016. But when she went to Queen Mary Hospital in January to have her second baby, she was crushed and in tears when she was told he could not be with her.

“But my husband told me, ‘Listen, you got this’,” she recalls. Their daughter, Isla, was born without any problems.

Her advice to mums-to-be is to stay focused on one thing: “Just remember the goal is to come out healthy with your baby.”