"Just lets people take their time"

A good news story for a change . My baby’s birth was not perfect but all in all it was a positive experience and that is down to a couple of people.

I was waiting for my planned C-section in Antrim Area Hospital and had a consult with the anaesthetist. Due to the switch to electronic notes I had hand written my birth plan but felt quite silly with a handwritten page. I kept looking at my notes as I had things I wanted to ask (wear my gown backwards to facilitate skin to skin for example). The anaesthetist noticed and encouraged me to ask all my questions, but then she went one step further and notified the midwives that I had a handwritten birth plan. The midwife then requested to see it and the whole team read it. My birth plan had a LOT of requests about after the birth. My first baby was admitted to NICU and we missed out on a lot, so the immediate after birth minutes/hours were really important to me.

My birth plan was followed to the letter. After surgery I was left with my baby and my husband for 2-3hours without anyone bothering us except to do whatever obs they needed on me. My new baby boy fed that whole time skin to skin with me. Nothing but blankets around us. Only after this did they take baby’s measurements and get me cleaned up. This was the most precious time. I heard the midwife explain to her student midwife that some midwives rush patients through recovery and rush to get everything done but she just lets people take their time and that’s what was requested in my notes so she was doing just that. It made me realise how lucky we were to have that midwife and how lucky that she now passed on that simple advice to the next generation of midwives . A very simple act but I cannot begin to describe what a difference it has made.

Thank you to the anaesthetist that made a point of highlighting to the staff that I had a birth plan and thank you to that midwife that took her time.