"Ward 3 and Team Bluebell are our heros"

I wanted to provide feedback on my recent experience of care from Team Bluebell midwives and all staff on Ward 3 at Dr Grays. 

Kerri from Team Bluebell was my community midwife and I couldn’t have asked for better care throughout my pregnancy. The continuity of care provided by the Bluebell team meant that Kerri really got to know me and my partner over the 6 months, she took the time to get know us and our appointments were always calm and never rushed and it was always easy to contact her if we had any questions. Unfortunately we just missed Kerri when I went into Labour but Diane from Team B was on call and I was so grateful to have her during my transfer to Raigmore, I felt she was on hand to advocate for us to ensure we got the birth we wanted and one thing that has stuck with me through a rather hazy, long labour is her appreciation of Lizzo on our baby playlist!

We went through a challenging week after the birth of our daughter and we got to meet some more members of Team B. Carol and Anne-Marie both provided the exact care we needed when the visited and we want to thank them for their kindness and professional judgment on knowing when and how to act. I can’t imagine how challenging it must have been to provide this level of care throughout covid but we are so thankful to the whole team.

We stayed on Ward 3 for 2 nights after birth and I don’t think I’ll be able to fully convey my gratitude to all the staff that supported us and made such a difference to our baby’s start in life during that time. It was all such a blur but I made a note of the following people who helped us; 

Dawn was tasked with the job to ‘fix my broken heart’ by Anne Marie and she did just that. I can’t really pinpoint what exactly she did but she did exactly what we needed. My partner said at one point she was “my gate keeper”, put a do not disturb sign on my door and stopped anyone coming into my room so I could rest (and cry). 

Joanne took over the night shift and provided me with emotional and practical support I needed to get through the night without my partner. I am so grateful for the time she spent with us an the advise she gave us.

Amanda, the breast feeding specialist, was a fantastic support for us. She took the time to listen to us and provided us with a straight forward plan which incorporated our preferences. She visited us everyday we were there and was genuinely thrilled when our baby started to feed well and put on weight. The line of communication must be excellent on ward as I didn’t have to explain anything to anyone and I didn’t get anyone suggesting anything else, all staff knew the plan.

As I mentioned above it was really was a team effort and all the nurses and midwives up there are our heroes. Thank you so much Ward 3!