"Forever grateful for everything they have done for us"

We found out we were expecting our first child in October 2024. While delighted and a planned pregnancy due to childhood trauma and PTSD I was very apprehensive around delivery. 

From our first appointment with our community Midwife, Dorothy, we were given an incredible amount of support and reassurance. During our booking appointment with Dorothy we discussed more details around my history and childhood trauma and discussed PTSD triggers and how to reduce them as much as possible. Dorothy was very kind and understanding while taking notes of my history. She provided a wealth of advice to manage pregnancy symptoms and spoke through any physical examinations that were needed to check on our baby. She also referred me to the MNPI Services within the RAH where we worked closely with Stephanie specialist midwife. 

Around week 23 Dorothy highlighted elevated Blood Pressure readings and asked me to go to the Daycare Unit at the RAH. The midwives in the Daycare Unit were incredibly welcoming and friendly, again explaining what they were doing and why. Unfortunately my BP continued to be high and I required weekly monitoring at the Daycare Unit and medication. They spoke to me in detail about the medication I was given and gave advice on the best times to take it throughout the day when adjusting doses or adding additional medications. 

After weeks of support and monitoring at the Daycare Unit, as often as 3 times a week, Stephanie and the other midwives spoke with us about the possibility of having to deliver early due to the continuous high readings. We worked closely with the midwives and Stephanie to create several birth plans detailing our concerns, wishes and triggers to ensure we had as detailed a plan as possible, regardless of delivery. We had initially requested a planned C-section, following advice from my psychologist, who explained it was more predictable than natural labour and in turn would potentially be less trigger and a more positive experience overall.

Despite the efforts of the midwives my BP continued to rise and we had discussions about trying to maintain my BP with close monitoring and medication until 37 weeks with 2-weekly growth scans, iron infusions and foetal monitoring. We continued with BP check and despite everyone's best efforts I ended up Preeclamptic and was admitted to the RAH at the beginning of June. 

Once admitted I spent several days in the labour ward and was told the only option to reduce my BP was to deliver baby and if still high, explore other medications which were not safe during pregnancy. Due to the everchanging situation we were told they would be looking for a space to be taken to theatre but the staff wouldn't know when that would be until they could assess the situation of the other patients on the ward.

The staff on the labour ward were incredibly vigilant and closely monitored myself and baby during our stay. After being admitted on the Friday afternoon I was asked to fast on the Sunday in the hopes they would be able to deliver baby that day, however, due to other emergencies we were told it wouldn't be possible and they would reassess the following day unless myself or baby's wellbeing changed. We repeated the fasting process again the following day and were taken to the recovery ward to have our pre operation checks done and meet with the theatre team. 

The theatre team checked our medical history and information and we were introduced to the anaesthesiologist before being taken to theatre. Once in theatre the theatre team left to discuss the information regarding my triggers and our wishes during our time in theatre and my husband said from where he was seated outside theatre they were incredibly understanding and respectful. On their return the anaesthesiologist began preparing to do the spinal for the surgery and explained each step of what he was doing. He gave me ample warming before making contact with my shoulders which is highly trigger and repeatedly asked for consent when touching my shoulders and back. 

After the spinal was done my husband joined me in the theatre and the procedure began, again all of the theatre team spoke through what was happening and what to expect. Due to my ongoing issues with my BP they kept a close eye me on this during the section to ensure it didn't change.

After surgery we were taken to the recovery ward where we had support from various midwives regarding breast feeding, increasing baby's temperature and regaining mobility following surgery. They went above and beyond to ensure we had everything we needed, even bringing down a recliner for my husband to sleep on as there were no available beds on the labour ward at the time. The following morning we were moved back into the labour ward and had several visits from the infant feeding team, midwives, paediatricians, hearing specialists, consultants and our specialist midwife, Stephanie. 

Despite the challenges they were facing every single staff member we encountered before, during and after our delivery provided incredible care. They all were incredibly welcoming and friendly and gave detailed information about changes to our care when needed.

Special Mention to some of the staff who went over and above the requirements;

Dorothy - Community Midwife

Stephanie - Specialist Midwife

Simon - Anaesthesiologist 

Kasia - Midwife (Daycare Unit)

Stacey - Midwife (Daycare Unit)

Amy - Midwife (Labour Ward)

Jen - Infant Feeding Team

Rosi - Infant Feeding Team

Given my history and the challenges around delivery I didn't believe it would be possible to have a positive birth experience and that was all thanks to the staff within the maternity unit of the RAH. They are an absolute blessing to the NHS and we are forever grateful for everything they have done for us, ensuring the safe arrival of our daughter.