A YOUNG mum has praised staff at the under-fire Redland Hospital for going above and beyond to help her during the birth of her baby boy.
The hospital has been under intense scrutiny from the LNP state opposition over concerns on ramping and surgery patients waiting in limbo with ICU beds unavailable.
But Thorneside woman Deeba Master said she was blown away by hospital staff, who helped her battle multiple phobias before having a caesarian birth.
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"They absolutely saved me," she said. "I thought I was going to end up in a mental ward.
"The things they did for me, they went above and beyond for me that hospital.
"I had no idea what a panic attack felt like until I got pregnant. I would vomit from fear and would ruminate morning until night.
"I was so scared I couldn't get out of bed until 12 o'clock sometimes."
Ms Master had a challenging time before giving birth, losing her father to a heart attack and walking away from her new teaching job at Shailer Park after about two weeks as a result.
She said Redland Hospital staff were there every step of the way, offering out of hours support and referring her to mental health specialists.
"I would call up in a panic, frantic, crying and sounding like a crazy person and they would calm me down," Ms Master said.
"I would sit there and take up so much of their time on the phone asking them 'does endone make you vomit? What are women like after C-sections?'
"I remember one night they said 'just come in' because they felt so bad for me, and they even offered for me to sleep through the night if I wanted with my husband."
Ms Master gave birth to baby Will on July 1, just days after a snap Covid lockdown was announced for south-east Queensland amid an outbreak of the Delta strain.
It capped off a turbulent time for the young mum, who said she had tested the patience of nurses and midwives with her list of questions.
She said thanks to all who helped her battle through anxiety, including obstetricians Dr Matt Macbeth - from Mater Private Hospital - and Dr Kandasamy.
"I could show you pages and pages of questions I asked," she said.
"They sat there and spent so much time listening to me freak out.
"I had five million questions, and they never made me feel bad."
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