"Eternally grateful for the care and support"

Words can’t describe how lucky and grateful I am to have had such a supportive and caring team throughout my pregnancy.

As a first time Mum and someone who has a medical condition, I had been advised for a caesarean birth under general anaesthetic, I was nervous as to what my pregnancy and birth would look like.

To start, my obstetrician, Dr Hepburn has been so proactive and understanding of my situation since the first day I met her. She always made sure I was up-to-date with everything that was going on in my case and ensured a plan was in place for me and my baby. All her hard work behind the scenes kept me feeling calm and relaxed about it all and I appreciate every single thing she has done for me.

I can’t thank her enough for safely delivering my baby and then making sure she came to see me soon after my birth in recovery and then again the following day when I finally moved to a ward. She took the time out of her busy schedule to debrief me on what happened during my birth and gave me advice on how to recover from my c-section at home. 

Next, I’d like to give a special thanks to my midwife, Ruth. At the beginning of my pregnancy, I had multiple different midwives every time I went for a clinic appointment, all the midwives were lovely, but having to explain my condition to each and every one of them every single time was exhausting and I didn’t feel they wanted to take the time to understand my condition.

That was until one day I got a midwife named Ruth, who, you could tell, took the time and effort to read my notes prior to my appointment so had an idea of what my medical condition is. At our very first appointment together, Ruth called my pregnancy “an interesting case” which made me laugh, and I instantly felt at ease with her, she said she would be my midwife from then until I had my baby.

Well, what can I say, she has made my pregnancy journey so enjoyable, I can’t imagine Ruth not being my midwife now and I don’t think my experience would have been the same if she wasn’t. As soon as we had our first appointment together, I knew my pregnancy journey was going to be a good one. I never expected to have such a caring, kind, funny and supportive midwife like I have had with Ruth.

From all the serious conversations and listening to how I’m feeling to all the laughter, jokes and answering ridiculous questions I had, Ruth made me feel so comfortable and relaxed during this stressful time in my life. The knowledge she has is so rich and deep that she always knew when to give me helpful advice and information when I needed it, I can tell she genuinely cares about me and my baby and I can’t thank her enough for that, the fact that Ruth also came to see me in recovery and then again the following morning before she even started her shift and helped to change my baby’s nappy for me, it really made me feel so genuinely looked after even when my baby was here and that’s why Ruth is amazing!

I feel emotional writing this, but in a good way, as I wanted to share my positive experience at the Princess Royal Maternity Unit. My partner and I will be eternally grateful for the care and support we have received from the wee team we had during my pregnancy and the birth of our baby girl. So thank you to all of you involved.