Families and midwives marched to Hutt Hospital on Saturday to demand maternity services in the area be prioritised.
The hospital's maternity ward has been deemed earthquake-prone and they want services shifted to the mothballed Te Awakairangi Birthing Centre, which closed last year.
With the local hospital's maternity ward now deemed vulnerable to earthquakes, there's uncertainty and anxiety around future birthing options.
"It's getting to the point where women are frightened, women are scared," said childbirth educator Sarah Adams.
"I'm concerned about where women are going to give birth once the hospital closes," added mother Gillian Openstein.
Officials are unclear how long maternity services will continue to operate in Hutt Hospital and there are no clear answers.
"There's debate about whether it's going to close down but we don't really know when and we don't know how long we have," said midwife Susie Fothersgill.
A final report released on Friday said the hospital's heretaunga block is less of an earthquake risk than previously thought with services now unlikely to be moved with the same urgency. But the building is still earthquake-prone, therefore the uncertainty remains.
Hutt Valley DHB doctors were among the protesters who turned up frustrated at the problem.
"I think it's a huge issue, obviously I've never been pregnant but I can only imagine what it's like to be pregnant and not know where you're going to have your baby," said Hutt Valley physician Richard Stein.
He's done what he can through his role at the DHB.
"I'm here as a citizen because unfortunately, I haven't had much success with the other route," he said.
Fothersgill said it was time to "stop putting politics above families".
Many are also questioning why the recently closed local birthing centre isn't now being used.
"Ultimately love to be able to go back to using our Te Awakairangi birthing centre, it is the no-brainer option," Adams said.
"It's a facility with 12 bedrooms, it's just mothballed so it's available and ready to use, we just need funding," added Fothersgill.
Meanwhile, Openstein has decided that since the birthing centre was closed "I would try to give birth at home".
Decisions by DHBs forcing parents to make alternative plans.
