Jessica Ryan

And when I got on the phone with her,

and i had set this up she said um oh um did you not go for a procedure and i just i couldn't even speak i i was like i i didn't know i had to send myself for a procedure so i found that very traumatizing and um so when i decided to go private i did a lot of research um into who

who might be best in caring for me.

And I went with Professor Shane Higgins in Hollis Street and I was so anxious going in and he said, oh, would you like to come in for an early scan?

And I just remember the feeling walking into his office and having just this sense of safety and warmth when I walked into the door.

And then not everyone will have that experience as a consultant.

Some people might have midwives, GPs, but I just felt so

looked after, especially through my antenatal care.

And I absolutely got what I paid for.

And I know that sounds a bit crude, but I wanted that consistency.

I had a pretty tough second half of my pregnancy.

And Professor Higgins was absolutely amazing and supported me through that.

It has.

Yeah, everything worked out and I just haven't slept in seven months so just trying to put a few heaps of thought together.

But yeah, everything worked out and I have a lovely baby boy who's seven months and I did get great care in the end and it's such a complex and nuanced and personal decision but I think ultimately

The system is far from perfect and consultant-led care has limitations and there's questions around equity and access and staffing and outcomes that do deserve scrutiny but those discussions should be grounded in evidence and focused on improving care for the people who need it which are

people giving birth and their babies.

I can understand his argument, and look, I'm not here to kind of debate the merits and the technicalities of the contract.

But again, like a contract or a policy, they're just words on a piece of paper.

It's what is the lived experience of people?