This weekend's controversial closing of the birthing center at UMass Memorial Hospital in Leominster, Massachusetts, is already causing problems for new moms.
When doors shut for good Saturday at midnight, it forced new and expecting parents to change their maternal health care plans.
"I don't want to have another baby," said Samantha Lacey. "The care and love you get on that floor, you don't get anywhere else."
Both of Lacey's children were born at the birthing center. She says the closure pushed her to make the gut-wrenching decision not to have a third.
"My first son, he was an emergency C-section. He wrapped the cord around his neck and he stopped breathing," she said. "If I would have had to go anywhere else, he wouldn't have made it."
The hospital shut down the birthing center despite major pushback from local leaders and community activists, including a legal challenge from the city. It cited low birth rates, patient safety and short staffing.
Officials have offered contingency plans for patients on the hospital's website, outlining free, 24/7 shuttles for urgent, non-emergency appointments to other medical centers.
For some women, however, the extra travel time to other hospitals can be a problem.
"It's just so many different emotions that we have no say and we have no power over," Lacey said.
Disappointed former staff and patients have begun a Facebook group called "Leave Labor in Leominster."
"Just keep your head up and support each other," Lacey said of the community. "It's a really hard time, and we just have to stick together and just power through.
