"Worth the wait!"

After being looked after during my pregnancy with my son 2 years ago by the community midwives at Mid Argyll Hospital in Lochgilphead I felt confident and happy to be again under their care with my second child born in January this year. Going in to labour at 37 weeks with my first child had resulted in me having to have him in paisley and while this was an overall positive experience, their time I was hoping to be able to stay in the unit in mid argyll and be cared for by my local midwives. 

While I felt I developed a positive relationship with all the midwives I felt particularly close to my named midwife Nicky who absolutely went above and beyond to look after me, put me at ease and fit appointments around a busy lifestyle and toddler. We live on a fairly remote farm and this was never made any issue of when receiving visits either during my pregnancy or after the birth of my baby girl. As I had gone into labour naturally early with my first it was expected that this may happen again with number two. However ... this was not to be and she kept everybody waiting until 10 days post due date!

Nicky was fantastic and was so keen to be there for the birth went out of her way to be available. However, for various reasons when I did finally go into labour we ended up having to travel to paisley again for the birth. While I was disappointed not to be able to have my Argyll baby I was put instantly at ease by the midwives and by Nicky who went absolutely above the call of duty and followed my husband and I down the road in snowy weather to deliver my baby.

As it turns out we ended up in theatre and requiring forceps. This was not something we had anticiapated but having Nicky by my side made me feel entirely confident that what was happening was ok. While the staff at rah were also fantastic I felt that Nicky was really able to communicate what was happening with both me and my husband in a way that involved us and made me feel still in control of a difficult situation. Having a friendly and familiar face there was not only important for me but also my husband- particularly when things started to get a little tricky. I understand that this continuity of care is a fairly new initiative being rolled out but he Scottish government and that we were the first from Mid Argyll to have a named midwife accompany us not as a supporter but as a midwife to be actively involved and lead the deliver our baby in Paisley. While I completely appreciate that this would not always be possible due to a huge variety of practical reasons I can not recommend this service enough. I felt safe and confident that my wishes were being met and while my birth was far from what I had imagined or planned it was a calm and I felt fully supported that Nicky was there beside me. Where possible I would highly recommend this- especially for those woman who hope to remain in their local units under local care and end up having to be transferred or travel up to two and a half hours away from home for their labours.

When we returned home we were visited by different midwives at home, all of whom were professional, friendly and made me feel at ease- particularly Donna and Brenda. It was lovely to have a chance to visit Nicky at the unit at 5 weeks post delivery to discuss my pregnancy and delivery and answer any questions I had. I can’t praise the midwives enough for the care we recieved throughout- Nicky especially went above and beyond and we are hugely grateful!