North Devon maternity unit closure: What are the next steps?

The trust said it had contacted more than 300 women who were 34 weeks pregnant or more, as well as those identified as vulnerable or clinically high-risk.

Rebekah Hester, from Ilfracombe, is classed as high-risk due to having pre-eclampsia, external, a complex condition which causes high blood pressure that can put both baby and mother at risk, and said she was looking at tutorials on giving birth and home deliveries.

Hester, who is 22-weeks pregnant, said coming to the realisation having a birth which may be not as planned was “terrifying”.

She said: “You turn to midwives and you turn to Google, and Google is saying an hour-and-a-half drive is too far, you need to find a closer maternity unit, or you need to watch these tutorials on giving birth and home deliveries.”

Her due date is in December, so said she has had time to work out a plan, adding she felt for women due a lot sooner.

Hannah Winne-Dennis said her pregnancy had to be a lot more controlled due to it involving a high-risk in vitro fertilisation (IVF) process.

She said the plan was always to have an induction at 39 weeks on Monday 17 August, originally at the north Devon hospital, but she was now facing having to travel to Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.

The trust said the last planned inductions and caesarean sections would go ahead on Friday, while the last day for NDDH would be able to accept those in spontaneous labour would be Sunday.