"We felt respected"

The care I received from my midwife Jennie in mid-Argyll throughout pregnancy has meant so much to me. As a non-binary person, navigating maternity services it wasn't always easy but Jennie provided continuity of care, and advocated for us at every step of the way to ensure we were seen and respected.

When a home birth wasn't possible due to going past 42 weeks, she liaised with the team at RAH, emailing all the right people to ensure our birth plan and my gender identity was respected. Had it not been for her, my experience both in mid-Argyll and at RAH would have been very different. She went above and beyond to ensure she was available to see me which meant I could speak about my pregnancy and feel safe and respected whilst doing so. She was so generous with her time and knowledge and has been such an integral part of our pregnancy journey.

Because of the work Jennie put in contacting the right people at RAH, our experience there was brilliant. We felt respected by all HCPs, even if they didn't get language right all the time, they all got it right some of the time - from HCAs to physios to the theatre team - they were all briefed on our preferred language which meant we didn't have to explain ourselves again and again. We really felt like VIPs! 

In terms of other midwives at mid-Argyll, I felt that some training could be done in LGBTQ competency but I understand this is hopefully in the pipeline. A huge huge thank you Jennie, you will never know how much your care meant to our little family.