"Community midwife care"

Post-Covid, my midwife appointments looked quite different at first. Phone appointments, booking, then phone again... it seemed like ages between appointments to check on my baby. My midwife, Sharon, however, still made a point of checking in.

Sharon looked after me and my baby girl from the first phone call, right the way through to discharging myself and my baby from midwife care. She even told me she could have let someone else visit me on certain days after the birth, but she wanted to do it herself.

Having someone who listens, understands, shares experiences but can also advise you is so important and it made such a difference in comparison to previous pregnancies - where I felt I couldn't speak and should just answer questions. One midwife even visited my home and referred to my oldest daughter as 'that baby' on several occasions. Sharon has been the complete opposite. She referred to my baby by her name every time, she interacted with her, cuddled her and complimented her constantly. She also didn't leave out my older children, asking about birthdays and answering all of their questions about the heel prick test.

Sharon is a one of a kind midwife. She reassured me at every turn that I knew what I was doing. When we had difficulty with breastfeeding, she suggested alternatives and told me how they differed. She didn't make me feel like my feelings were invalid, she just reminded me that I needed to do what was best for myself as well as baby.

At no point did I ever leave Sharon feeling like the appointment was a waste of time, or like I wasn't heard.

She is one in a million and I genuinely wish that she had cared for me with my first 2 babies as well.