Thousands of new mothers are being sent home from maternity wards in the middle of the night as hospitals suffer a chronic shortage of midwives.
Shocking research shows that in the past three years almost 33,000 women have been discharged between 11pm and 6am after having given birth as recently as two days before.
Experts warn that forcing new mothers to go home in the early hours puts them at risk, especially when they are exhausted and not necessarily ready to cope alone.