Hundreds of people across the country, including Carlow and Kilkenny, are set to demonstrate in Dublin against ongoing restrictions in maternity units

Heavily pregnant women are expected to be among those protesting outside Leinster House this afternoon.

Hundreds of people are due to turn out for a demonstration against ongoing restrictions in maternity units.

They want the Health Minister to honour his commitment to end the exclusion of partners from labour and emergency appointments.

Linda Kelly from Better Maternity Care says restrictions are still there in many cases, noting “A close friend of mine fell at the weekend, very heavily pregnant, right onto her bump, suffered a bleed afterwards, totally on her own in the emergency room in maternity hospital while getting checked out now luckily that was a good outcome and everything was okay, but you don’t know that when you’re going in”.