A woman who experienced a stillbirth has expressed concern about proposals to transfer hospital births from Coleraine's Causeway Hospital to Antrim Area Hospital.
The second of Laura Magee's three children, who is from Portrush, passed away.
"Learning that news is such a shock, and I was fortunate to be only a few miles away from home and from family," the 34-year-old told BBC News Northern.
When you're so far away from everything, I can't imagine getting that news, she continued.
A final determination regarding the relocation of all births from Causeway Hospital is anticipated soon from the Department of Health (DoH).
The plans were approved by the Northern Health Trust board in March.
Dr. David Morgan, a consultant in obstetrics and gynecology, previously referred to the situation as "fragile and vulnerable," adding that "a pressing need for change" existed.
He claimed that because of declining birth rates and challenges in finding midwives and doctors to fill positions, the service was quite vulnerable.
He said: "Myself and my coworkers are very concerned that, if the status quo persists, there may very well be a scenario where there is an unanticipated and unexpected collapse in services.".
The use of temporary locum workers, who deliver a good service but are erratic in their availability, is to blame.
"Our current situation is simply unsustainable, and there have been instances recently where our staffing levels have been right on the precipice. This is simply unacceptable."
He said while clinicians felt there needed to be changes to how births were handled, prenatal and antenatal services "would actually be enhanced under the proposals".
The proposal has been opposed by many parents on the north coast of Northern Ireland in particular.
Rachel Smyth from Portstewart does not drive and said that meant transport could be an issue.
"With Causeway being nearby it is a bit easier to get a lift than having to go to Antrim," she said.
Mother-of-three Heidi Wright from Portrush said she was concerned about the length of time it would take to travel to Antrim.
"Jesse arrived in a bit of a hurry so I only got to hospital half an hour before he was born," she said.
"I would just be concerned that if I was to have another I wouldn't make it all the way to Antrim.
"It would be a 45 to 50 minute drive - that would be without traffic - so that would be my primary concern. ".
The DoH said it was considering the recommendation from the Northern Trust regarding the future of maternity services at Causeway Hospital.
"This will be considered against the department's 2019 guidance on change or withdrawal of services," a spokesperson said.
"Any decision by the department will be assessed against the current legal framework for decision making by civil servants. ".
BBC News NI has approached the Northern Trust for comment.
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