"Twin birth"

Since finding out I was expecting twins, I regularly attended the twin clinic in the Royal maternity belfast. My consultants Dr. Murnaghan and Dr. Gomersall were brilliant and very thorough in their roles. It was reassuring to have so many appointments and scans. 

I was booked in for induction in December 2020 in the Royal Maternity, but delivery suite was extremely busy so it was delayed until the following morning. I remained on the induction ward and the staff were super. At 7am the following morning the midwives came from delivery suite to bring me round and my husband was able to join me. I was both very nervous yet happy to be getting somewhere. The Dr's and midwives were fabulous. It was a very long labour (20 hours) and my midwife Suzanne remained with me until the evening hand over. Midwives Cathy and Mairead (student) were fantastic and I couldn't have done it without them.

After an epidural, due to one twin being breech, Cathy encouraged me to get some sleep for an hour - which I didn't realise how much I needed. The boys birth was straightforward and I was able to stay in the delivery room for their birth. The Dr's were brilliant and put me and my husband at ease. I was unsure if I could tell when to push with having the epidural, but Cathy guided me with every push - for which I'm eternally grateful. It wasn't until after my twin boys were delivered that I found out it was Maireads first twin delivery. 

After delivery, my husband was able to stay with us and have some tea and toast until I was transferred to johnston house. Once again, the staff couldn't have done enough for me. I had my own room with ensuite which was great to keep an eye on the twins. Jenny my midwife and all the staff couldn't have done enough to help me. The night staff took the boys for a few hours so I could get some sleep.

There was always someone on hand day and night if I needed anything and literally nothing was too much for them. I actually felt emotional being discharged home, if I could've I'd have brought all the staff home with me! 

I could not fault the work done by every member of staff in the maternity hospital. They are under extreme pressure on a daily basis with the added stress of working during the covid pandemic. They are all worth their weight in gold and I'll be forever thankful for the help in bringing our boys safely into this crazy world.