A meeting meant to get Lumsden Maternity stakeholders in the same room and brainstorm has been postponed in an attempt to get the Southern District Health Board to attend.

A Lumsden Maternity planning meeting has been postponed in an attempt to get the Southern District Health Board (DHB) to attend. 

Last week Northern Southland Medical Trust directors invited key stakeholders and the SDHB to attend a meeting meant to develop a sustainable model for lead midwives to practice in Northern Southland. Ever since the Southern DHB declined the invite to the meeting, originally scheduled for Monday (June 10), Invercargill Labour list MP Dr Liz Craig has been trying to get health board representatives on board.

In declining, the DHB told trust directors that large group meetings on this issue became "confrontational discussions" where it was "difficult to explore solutions properly."

Dr Craig said she spoke to DHB chief executive Chris Fleming about re-scheduling. 

"As the main provider of maternity services in our region, I felt it was important that the Southern DHB was part of these discussions," she said. 

"[Mr Fleming] said that following discussions with Ministry of Health, the DHB would be getting back in touch with the Lead Maternity Carers in the region directly, to discuss this in coming days."

While trust spokeswoman Carrie Adams told DHB representatives they were "disappointed" at the health board's response, the invitation to attend remained open. 

Meanwhile, in Fiordland, a community group issued a statement saying local women were fearful following the closure of the Lumsden Maternity Centre in April, as well as the recent roadside birth and problems plaguing the new hubs.

Fiordland Families Network chairwoman Anna Thomas said the issues had led to some women planning to temporarily relocate to birth outside of the region.

"Some of our local women are worried that they could end up giving birth roadside and others are concerned if Southland Hospital or the other birthing units are full, that they may have to travel to Dunedin to give birth. One family has even started making arrangements to temporarily re-locate to another South Island centre, that is better equipped maternity wise, to have their baby."

Mrs Thomas said two births in the past two weeks, one on a roadside near Lumsden and another at the Lumsden hub, had only heightened concerns within the community about the closure of the centre.

Te Anau mother Toni Vivier, who is expecting her second child in six weeks, said she felt uneasy having to travel an hour and a half to Winton, or two hours to Invercargill to give birth in winter.

"My first baby was born in winter with snow on the ground so I was fortunate that we had the Lumsden Maternity Centre as it was a fast labour. This time, I'm concerned that if I don't make the distance that my baby will be born in the car and if we do make the distance, that we could be turned away due to the beds being full."

"As for planning, you can do all the planning you want, but labour is so unpredictable."