28 women suffered a miscarriage as a result of domestic abuse last year
Research Abuse More Than During Pregnancy Pre Diabetes Global And Showing Eclampsia Gestational Domestic Be To Mon
Four maternity hospitals are joining forces with Women's Aid to support pregnant people who are subject to domestic violence and other abuse.
Cork University Maternity Hospital, the Coombe, the Rotunda and the National Maternity Hospital will take part in a three-year pilot programme which will involve training, creating awareness and a referral programme.
Last year, Women's Aid were contacted by 148 women who were abused while pregnant. Twenty-eight suffered a miscarriage as a result of the abuse.
The organisation says this is just the tip of the iceberg with global research showing domestic abuse during pregnancy to be more common than pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes.
Abusers will often target their assaults at the abdomen causing very serious health impacts on the mother as well as the child, including the risk of miscarriage, premature labour and birth and the baby being born with a low birth weight.
Aisling* found support with Women's Aid after she was abused by her husband.
Not long after the couple were married, Aisling found herself trapped in an abusive relationship which only got worse when she fell pregnant.
"When I was pregnant, he became more aggressive and violent. One morning, I was in the bathroom being sick and he came in and started yelling, he told me this pregnancy had made me ignore him and that he was sick of me being sick all the time.
"He picked up the towel and started hitting me with it. I pleaded with him to stop."
When Aisling was five months pregnant, her husband launched an attack on her that involved kicking her in the back as she tried to hide her stomach.
Later that day, she began bleeding.
"He took me to the hospital and, crying, he told staff that I’d been in a car crash. And how scared he was that I was going to lose our baby."
When he had returned to their home for the night, Aisling found the strength to tell the midwife that she hadn't been in a car crash and that her injuries were caused by her husband.
The midwife was able to put Aisling in touch with a social worker who then introduced her to Women's Aid.
Aisling and her child have been able to begin a new life together and while they still need to go to court to deal with child custody and access rights, she believes they are on their way to being free and safe.
The new project between the maternity hospitals and Women's Aid will highlight the common signs of abuse for patients and staff and will encourage victims to speak to hospital staff and/or contact Women's Aid.
Staff who may be subject to abuse will also be supported through the enhanced response.
Pregnancy should be a time of hope and joy but for many it leaves them more vulnerable than ever.
"One in four women in Ireland experience some form of domestic abuse and unfortunately, domestic abuse does not stop in pregnancy," said Gillian Dennehy, Women's Aid Maternity Project Coordinator.
"Our partnership with four of Ireland’s leading maternity hospitals will ultimately enhance the support for abused pregnant women who are accessing maternity services as well as women contacting Women’s Aid for support."
The organisation has shared
- They complain that you spend too much time with friends and family and make you feel guilty if you don’t spend all your free time with them.
- They send you constant texts and get mad if you don't respond right away.
- They tell you how to dress, criticise your clothes and undermine how you think or feel.
- They have a bad temper and you feel afraid to disagree with them.
- They accuse you of cheating on them all the time.
- They ask for all your passwords so they can check your messages.
- They pressure or coerce you to do things sexually that you don’t want to do.
- They control your access to basic essentials such as the car, family finances, food, the telephone, internet, and healthcare appointments.
- They are physically violent to you and often the assaults are aimed at your abdomen.
- They have threatened to hurt you, themselves or others if you end the relationship.
- If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please click here for a list of support services.