"Nothing but praise for Daisy Hill MLU"

I gave birth to my sixth and final baby in Daisy Hill Hospital in mid-June. I can honestly say I have always been treated with such professionalism, warmth, kindness and attention over the past 11 years (from my first little girl in 2014). I also had to attend the Gynae ward in 2017 to deliver my baby who sadly passed away at 16 weeks gestation. Again, the doctors and nurses were so caring and empathetic to our situation and made a very sad hospital stay a little easier for us. 

I would like to thank all the midwifes along the way, however a few in particular stood out on my last admission and I would like to personally thank. There was a lovely mid-wife called Phil in the Assessment Unit whose reassuring hug was the best medication you could ask for. We probably left it a little too late to make our way to DHH to deliver as I was 7cm on admission into Assessment Unit and I appreciate the midwifes were put under a lot of pressure to ascertain the best pathway to deliver our baby.  

A lovely midwife called Aine met me at the lift with a wheelchair and reassured me that our baby could be delivered in MLU upstairs; like my previous two deliveries. As the contractions were becoming closer and stronger, I was finding things very uncomfortable. I was reassured that things were all progressing nicely and encouraged to listen to my body. 

As the water was filling in the birthing pool, my waters broke and showed traces of meconium. This changed things again and the midwife calmly explained that unfortunately I had to be transferred back down to the Labour Suite to safely deliver our baby. Our little girl was having none of this and she was delivered very quickly following my waters breaking in MLU. 

All the midwifes attending my birth to assist were so reassuring and kind. As things did progress very quickly from my admission, they did not have an abundance of time to make decisions or perhaps assess the situation as they normally would have. A caring, professional student midwife also helped however I do not remember her name. 

On the post natal ward, I had two lovely midwifes look after me and our little girl. One midwife was called Meave and I really enjoyed our conversations throughout the night and next morning. Nothing was too much bother for her and she was continually offering to help if I needed anything. 

I was keen to discharge early the next morning to get home and the midwife on duty that morning (I wish I remembered her name) made sure any checks were completed early and my Inhixa medication was ready for my husband collecting us. I was offered breastfeeding support upon discharge which was reassuring and helpful. 

The midwifes attending in the community post discharge were also very helpful and caring. They listened to any concerns I had with open ears and provided reassuring support and guidance. 

As an employee for a different Heath and Social Care Trust who has been using Encompass since 2023, I appreciate how difficult the transition onto Encompass was for all the staff in DHH. However, this did not have any impact on my antenatal appointments, care or attention during my pregnancy or delivery.