"My daughter's birth at the Dundee Midwifery Unit."

At a very scary and unknown time, I gave birth to my daughter at my local midwifery unit (DMU). In the weeks leading up I felt gradually more and more anxious about what my experience was going to be like given the current global pandemic. No one could assure me of what could or would happen due to continual change and the thought of being in early labour alone, in hospital, was frightening.

However, from moment I walked in the door of the DMU, in established labour, I couldn't have been met with a more calm, caring and responsive team. Yes the midwifes and students were wearing masks and my temperature was taken at the door upon entering, but at no point to I feel the anxiety and worry I expected to feel. I was really listened to and allowed to feel like I was making decisions about my body and my labour while also being given the encouragement and support needed to keep going.

I felt like I had known the midwife who was helping to deliver my baby for years and really felt her presence. She was there for me as well as my baby and I felt truly blessed that it was her who was with me. The environment she and the student midwife creating made me totally forget all about the global pandemic going on outside the hospital and in the end I even forgot about the masks they were wearing. The birth I had with my son 3 years previously was good but it was something about my experience this, despite everything that was going on, which made me really look at my daughters birth with fond memories.

You often hear others horror stories but I truly felt looked after from the moment I arrived until I was being taken to bed to rest and recover - I even had a midwife offer to carry my things to my bay "just because". I can't thank the team at the Dundee Midwifery Unit more for making the birth of my daughter a truly wonderful moment despite the devastation going on around us.