"Their excellent care will always be remembered"

I would like to highly praise the staff at Inverurie Midwifery Unit. Not just the qualified midwife’s but all staff, the HCAs, the students and also the cleaning staff after an amazing experience giving birth there to my baby girl (June 2024).

I am not local to Inverurie, and I had never met any of the staff/midwifes attached to the unit. I live around a 25 minute drive to the unit. After doing my research while pregnant regarding midwifery led units and having seen some videos of the unit, I decided that this would be my first choice of birth place all going smoothly. 

I got to 40+5 with my baby girl (second baby) having had my first baby boy early at 36 weeks in the labour suite at ARI, I was determined to create a different more calming experience. 

In the early stages of labour we were a bit concerned that we would not get to Inverurie having had to make a visit to triage at ARI, however there were no concerns which meant we could go home, this did however lead to a very quick labouring at home and ultimately by the time we made it to the Inverurie Unit, I was at the end stage of labour and it was all go.

One of the most important parts to play for me was feeling safe and cared for, the midwife and 3rd year student nurse who cared for me were excellent, I instantly felt safe in their care. They had already read my birth plan from the badger app before I arrived and they knew exactly what I wanted and let me know they were respecting this and following all my wishes. 

All in all, we were only in the building for 1 hour before my baby girl arrived into the world, the birth pool takes 50 mins or so to run however the midwife’s knew birthing in the pool was a wish of mine and they, by all miracles, made this happen, all be it it was a very close call 🙂 

Although I had only just met Caroline and Moira for one hour prior to the arrival of my baby girl, the feeling of being safe and secure in their care made an overwhelming experience feel manageable. The immediate post birth care was also just as significant, they listened and cared for me providing the best quality care, evidently thinking about this holistically looking after me physically, mentally and emotionally. Of course they were also excellent with my new baby girl and my partner. 

We stayed in the postnatal room until the next morning and the care the staff provided was perfect. A perfect balance of providing care and treatment while allowing us time with our new baby in a peaceful environment. All the staff were evidently happy to work here, from the cleaners who were so welcoming and friendly and happy to see new mums and babies in the unit to the third-year nursing student who helped deliver my baby, she was fantastic, and you would never know she was a student. 

The birthing room itself was brilliant, calming, relaxing and welcoming, all helping to give the right environment for labour. 

I would like to highlight the enormity of a women’s experience while giving birth and how this is not just a short lived memory but something they will remember for the rest of their lives,  and although I had only known the two midwife’s for barely an hour before birthing, I would like them to know how their excellent care will always be remembered and how privileged I feel to be able to have such a positive memory that will stay with me, 

Finally, having had this experience, I truly believe that this has positively impacted my recovery postnatally physically, mentally and emotionally. I feel much more myself than I did with my first and I genuinely believe this has a lot to do with my birth experience and immediate post birth care.

Thank you, you are angels and I hope you can see the long term positive impact you have on women, babies and families.