Hospitals have implemented a variety of new rules during Sydney’s coronavirus outbreak that mean women who are giving birth, experiencing complications with pregnancy or having a miscarriage need to do it alone — their partners and support people are not allowed in.

The measures are in place to protect healthcare workers from the risk of being infected with Covid-19 but even Health Minister Brad Hazzard questions whether they are a step too far.

“I must say from a human point of view, I would like to see mums who are about to give birth and post birth have their support person with them as long as possible,” he told reporters last week.

So bad is the situation that some women are “afraid to fall pregnant … due to the restrictions hospitals are placing on labouring women”.

Katherine*, a 31-year-old woman from Sydney’s south, told news.com.au she would never forget her horrific experience last week.

It started when she went in to see her obstetrician for an eight-week scan and was told she could only attend alone.

“I had my hubby on FaceTime during the entire appointment where my scan revealed an unviable twin pregnancy,” said Katherine, whose name has been changed to protect her identity.

“I was in absolute and utter shock. In that moment all I needed was my husband’s hand to hold. But there I was, clutching my mobile phone as I fought back the tears. My OB recommended a (procedure to remove tissue from inside the uterus) and I had to process it all on my own.”

Things got worse for Katherine from there when, a day later, she received a notification from NSW Health that she was considered a “close contact” of an infected case because she visited an Ikea store. She was told to isolate for 14 days.

“I immediately contacted the hospital and was honest and transparent about my situation,” she said.

“They explained that I could not come for the procedure and that essentially I should only go to emergency if I were to start miscarrying on my own. This was an absolutely terrifying prospect for me.

“I reached out to NSW Health to seek an exemption on compassionate grounds, and, to their credit, they worked tirelessly to get me off that close contact list. I only attended Ikea for four minutes using their Click and Collect service. How could I be a ‘close contact’?

“Within a few days I finally received word that after reviewing my case, which included three negative Covid tests and receipts from Ikea showing time stamps of a person working in Click and Collect, NSW Health no longer considered me to be a close contact. Relief.”

Katherine booked in for the procedure the following day but was again not allowed to have her husband by her side.

“I had to go in alone. It was absolutely the most traumatising experience of my life. I was first put in a room in the maternity ward where I had to take a pill to start the miscarrying process and wait for theatre to be ready.

“I was there for close to three hours. Alone. Cramping. Unable to cry in my husband’s chest. Listening to the beautiful sound of crying babies around me. It was an extremely difficult experience.

“Opening my eyes for the first time after my procedure, I looked around and remembered I was alone. I was alone, in pain and in tears. I couldn’t stop crying and all I needed in that moment was my husband. But he wasn’t allowed in.”

Katherine says the hospital “should have granted me special exemption” for a support person.

“I believe we need to put an end to not only birth restrictions, but restrictions on support people attending when women experience miscarriage,” she said.

Other women are sharing their stories via a petition at change.org that has been signed more than 32,000 times.

Petition author Sarah Fowler wants the hashtag #endbirthrestrictions to gain traction and for the situation to be corrected immediately.

“The restrictions that are currently in place are inconsistent across hospitals throughout Sydney and are damaging women,” she wrote.

“Women are stressed, anxious, worried and fearful about what may happen if they have to go in to birth their babies with no support people. It is no secret that our hospital system is failing women already, the system is hard to navigate under normal circumstances, now it is nearly impossible.”

The Health Minister said last week that he was in discussion with health officials but they were holding firm to their decision.

“It is a difficult issue because at the moment Covid is in the community more broadly,” he said.

“I must say from the human point of view, I would like to see mums who are about to give birth and post birth have their support person with them as long as possible.

“I have discussed that with the senior health officials and the instructions they’ve given out are reflective that on the ground health authorities just have to make some really challenging decisions.”

He said issues had arisen in recent weeks at both hospitals on Sydney’s north shore and in Fairfield where hundreds of staff had to be furloughed because they came in contact with known Covid cases.

“Everybody in the health system innately wants people to have support in a whole variety of circumstances but at the end of the day it has to be a health decision in not only keeping that mum and that dad and that baby safe,” he said.

“It is a highly difficult and challenging circumstance. My heart goes out to those people. Compassion and care and concern has to be the overriding factor, but that compassion and care and concern can also mean you have to look at what risks there are around Covid.

“This one in 100 year pandemic is not easy when it comes to those issues.”

Rory Stephen, who owns Roar PT, has been abused and heckled since the Greater Sydney lockdown begun and is fed up with members of the public trying to shame him.

“I’ve been in eight different spots now, because at every one there’s been someone who has complained or had something negative to say,” Mr Stephen, who works in the inner city area of Potts Point, told news.com.au.

“The people I’ve come across have been pretty rude.”

In one instance, a random man yelled out to complain about the noise from Mr Stephen’s speaker.

“He was really rude about it as well,” he said, detailing how the man threatened to call the police if he didn’t move.

Another woman blasted him for having loud music outside while she was working from home.

“She was just so rude about it, and telling me how she would appreciate it if I left. She just had no respect for me,” Mr Stephen said.

“I’m always a people pleaser and don’t want to upset anyone, but I’ve had enough.”

He said he had been told to move at least eight times by disgruntled members of the public.

People were constantly pointing and taking photos of his set up too, which he suspected may not have been solely due to his impressive collection of equipment.

“I’m just trying to service my clients as best as possible. Because everyone’s in a tough place, working from home and going crazy, so the highlight of their day is working out,” he said.

“It’s hard when I’m trying to keep my clients happy and the community happy as well. It’s frustrating.”

Police have stopped in three times, likely after receiving calls from the public, and “they have been fine with it”, Mr Stephen said.

“They have not said one negative thing to me and council has been really good too, it’s just the community.”

Government health advice stipulates that exercise can be undertaken outdoors with “a friend, family member, or trainer”, so long as there are no more than two people at all times.

Exercise is one of four reasons Greater Sydney residents are allowed to leave their home.

Taylor Cole, 27, who shares son Beckham, three, with her ex Gentry Hatch, 27, admitted she was threatened by his new girlfriend and later wife Madison Hatch, 22.

The US women even fought when Taylor was upset by Madison posting pictures of her toddler on Instagram.

“I didn’t like Madison. No mum wants to be replaced and the idea that Beckham would like her more than me was hard,” Taylor said.

Madison added: “I made assumptions about who Taylor was as a person and I didn’t see things from her perspective.

“We didn’t really like each other but it wasn’t because of each other, it was because of the situation.”

Taylor, who is now also mum to Ledger, one, with her new husband Cameron, said it was difficult at first because of her strained relationship with Gentry.

“I met Gentry in college and we went out for two and a half years and I got pregnant by accident,” the Utah woman explained.

“It was a really big deal and a really stressful time. We ended up in courts fighting over custody – it was a very acrimonious split.

When he met Madison, things became even more tense as Taylor didn’t like how often her ex’s new partner was posting photos of her son Beckham.

“I just felt like I didn’t want someone showing off Beckham on the internet,” she said.

“I had a fight with Gentry about it which only caused more problems.

“I couldn’t have foreseen a time when we would be friendly.”

But now the pair have turned their relationship around and even consider themselves best friends, speaking to each other every single day and enjoying spa days.

They also celebrate holidays and co-parent Beckham together.

Relations between the women began to change when Madison reached out to Taylor to explain she had no intention of taking over her role as Beckham’s mother.

“I was posting pictures of Beckham like he was my child and from Taylor’s point of view, I was just the girlfriend,” Madison said.

“But for me those posts showed that I was serious about my relationship with Gentry.

When they spoke, she explained this, reassuring Taylor she was there for “extra support and extra love”.

“[After] She texted me saying: ‘If Beckham has to have another mum, I’m glad it’s you’.”

After, Madison invited Taylor and Cameron, 27, to her December 2019 wedding to Gentry, firming their bond in “an act of solidarity”.

Over the past 18 months, the women have grown so close that they speak daily and consider each other best friends.

“I think she’s my best friend, I tell her everything, we share a child,” sports reporter Taylor said.

“It’s a woman-to-woman relationship, not just mum-to-mum.

“We speak at least once every day.”

The pair also try to have a girls’ night at least once a month where they get massages and go for dinner.

They also go on holidays together and celebrate Beckham’s birthday and Christmas to ensure that one parent doesn’t have to miss out.

The pair have even set up a joint Instagram page, @steppedup.coparenting, to encourage other divorced parents to take the steps that will help them bond with their ex’s new partner.

The friends share their top tips to becoming friendly with your ex’s new significant other.

“Start doing little things together that will make you feel more comfortable in each other’s company,” Madison said.

“And finally have compassion for each other.

“Co-parenting is very emotional and you have to take a step back and look at it from the other person’s perspective.”