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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think its not acceptable for a homeless woman to have to give birth on the street.

318 replies

Thelnebriati · 26/12/2019 13:53

Homeless woman gives birth to premature twins on a cold street outside Cambridge University college
www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/homeless-woman-birth-premature-twins-17471458

OP posts:
slashlover · 26/12/2019 14:00

Who exactly is going to come on here and say YABU?

Fraggling · 26/12/2019 14:05

People who think that those who are down on their luck deserve it, I imagine.

There's plenty of them about including on here.

I expect some will want to ensure that she had the right to access NHS care as well. And to pay if not/as she clearly hasn't got any money, take action against her.

I mean she's probs English but some people do like to leap to conclusions.

HermioneWeasley · 26/12/2019 14:06

Of course no woman should have to give birth on the streets, but why didn’t she go to a hospital?

JesusInTheCabbageVan · 26/12/2019 14:08

slash 9% so far.

Original poster
Thelnebriati · 26/12/2019 14:09

How does a homeless women get to a hospital when she goes into labour several weeks early, in the early hours of the morning?

OP posts:
InTheBleakMidwinterIWouldSing · 26/12/2019 14:09

but why didn’t she go to a hospital?

Have a think.

Fraggling · 26/12/2019 14:10

1 in 10 women on MN think it's fine.

So there you go. Happy Xmas everyone!

Oh and also a post essentially saying the woman is stupid, as a bonus.

JesusInTheCabbageVan · 26/12/2019 14:11

Hermione can you think of a possible reason? I can think of about 5 off the top of my head.

MarciaMarciaMarcia · 26/12/2019 14:13

YANBU - does that help?
Hope this poor woman gets the support she obviously needs. What a shitty situation.

Bluebutterfly90 · 26/12/2019 14:15

I live around Cambridge and I'm saddened but honestly not surprised by this story.
I've lived here for about 10 years, and in that time the number of rough sleepers has just increased.
Unfortunately I don't think this is going away any time soon. Sad

staydazzling · 26/12/2019 14:16

that's horrendous, i really hope someone helped her. Sad what have we become.

forkfun · 26/12/2019 14:21

It's awful, she should never have been homeless in the first place. There are empty homes and we have people living on the street. It's awful. I would say though that there is a good chance her labour was fast and clearly not expected at 29 weeks. Women do give birth in all sorts of places (including the street) under those circumstances.

WireBrushAndDettolMaam · 26/12/2019 14:21

Poor women. hopefully this will kick off a train of support for her. Hope the babies are ok. My nephew was a 29 weeker but a singleton. He was only 2lb. Can’t imagine how tiny twins would be.

stophuggingme · 26/12/2019 14:25

Thanks to those that voted the Conservatives into power I suspect this will not be the last time such an outrageous scenario unfolds.

NailsNeedDoing · 26/12/2019 14:26

Of course it’s not acceptable, but as soon as the relevant services were aware of it, it was rectified.

She was helped by the public and by the emergency services. Presumably council or social services or whatever’s relevant will also now help.

As awful as some things are, we are all lucky to live in this country where there is help available.

WhoWants2Know · 26/12/2019 14:28

I'm upset that a pregnant woman was on the streets in the first place, I'm assuming without proper antenatal care. How awful to be without a home or any loved ones around you at that time.

CripsSandwiches · 26/12/2019 14:28

I don't think anyone would claim it was acceptable. Some people will deny the relationship between lack of long tern social investment and this kind of thing happening more often.

Fraggling · 26/12/2019 14:31

I also don't think it's ok for a pregnant woman to be sleeping rough esp in winter but whatever.

LoveNote · 26/12/2019 14:31

stophuggingme so if labour had got in then all homeless people will have been housed by now? and this time next year? and the year after?

labour will not stop homelessness

Fraggling · 26/12/2019 14:32

15 years ago there was very little tough sleeping.

It's not inevitable.

I find the current levels of rough sleeping very upsetting and especially the numbers of young people esp women.

Fraggling · 26/12/2019 14:33

Rough sleeping.

The idea this is not due to political actions is ridiculous.

paulinespeaksmanylanguages · 26/12/2019 14:33

I can't think why she would have to give birth in the street. Would they have turned her away from hospital?

It is terrible but I have sadly seen pregnant homeless women and I'm imagining they didn't give birth in the street or it would have been in the paper, the way this woman is.

TracyBeakerSoYeah · 26/12/2019 14:36

There would be less of it.
Did we even have or need foodbanks before the Conservatives got back in 2010?
Those who clicked YABU should be jolly well ashamed of themselves.

WireBrushAndDettolMaam · 26/12/2019 14:36

It’s possible her labour was very fast and she simply didn’t have time to get to hospital. Or- less likely but also possible she didn’t know she was pregnant. Or she is a newly arrived refugee and had no idea where she was or where to go for help.

paulinespeaksmanylanguages · 26/12/2019 14:37

Thankfully though, it happens so rarely that it is newsworthy.