"The kindness shown by all midwives was much appreciated"

I gave birth to our first baby in the Borders General Hospital earlier this year. The midwives who helped deliver our son and took care of us afterwards were fantastic.

Firstly, thank you to Lynsey, the midwife who delivered our baby. She was so calm, caring and positive throughout the whole experience.

Thank you also to the midwives, Kerry and Louise who cared for me during my labour. They were making sure I was comfortable and giving words of reassurance.

My postnatal care was second to none. Every single member of staff, from the midwives, to the care assistants, to the cleaners were so friendly, caring and understanding. The midwives were always run off their feet, but they always ensured I was cared for and nothing was too much bother. On my first couple of nights, Joice would take my little one so I could get some much needed rest.

The kindness shown by all midwives was much appreciated, especially during a tiring and overwhelming few days after giving birth. I can't remember all names now, but Susie, Melissa, Camae, Sarah, Ingka, Anne, Eireann and Julie are some that I can recall. Their late night chats, kind smiles and shoulders to cry on made my time in hospital so much easier. I learned so much from them all.

My baby did not breastfeed straight away, and I was given so much support to enable my baby to eventually breastfeed. The maternity care assistants, Alison and Laura , helped me every day to learn about breastfeeding and support me in trying to get my baby to feed. They persevered with me and provided me with so much positivity, whilst ensuring my baby was being nourished. Again, they were always so busy but I never felt like a bother and they were always there to help me. I am so grateful for their kindness during my time.

Whilst in the hospital, I was also supported by Julie, the Bibs Coordinator. She worked with me for the day to support me in trying to breastfeed and gave us lots of useful information and tips. Once I left hospital, I was assigned a Bibs supporter who I kept in touch with over text. This was so helpful in the early days, as my breastfeeding journey was extremely challenging. After a lot of difficulty, my supporter asked Julie to visit me again at home. After some pointers, help and a few tries, my baby was breastfeeding with much more ease. I am eternally grateful for the support of Julie an her Bibs team. I know that I would probably not be breastfeeding my baby 4 months later if it wasn't for her support. I feel extremely lucky to have this service in the Borders, and I am also now enjoying attending the Bibs support group in Hawick.