"Birth of my baby"

In the early hours of Sunday 13th December, I arrived in the triage unit having phoned to say my contractions were regular and strong.  My husband and I were greeted by Sophie, a newly qualified midwife (her first week!) who helped me to a bed space and did my initial assessment.  I was much further on than any of us expected (my first labour took over 3 days in total) and things were escalating quickly - I declared I needed to push about 5 minutes after arriving in the triage unit, but Sophie coped brilliantly by getting a more experienced midwife to confirm I needed to get to the midwife led unit ASAP! 

Within minutes I was through in the MLU, welcomed by another midwife and healthcare support worker (I've forgotten their names but hopefully with dates provided they can be identified) who were absolutely fantastic.  They worked really well as a team to encourage and support me, and included my husband in everything.  Within 20 minutes of guided pushing our son was safely delivered, and I was immediately given skin to skin and delayed cord clamping as written in my notes.  How they had the time to read my notes is beyond me, but it's a shining example of how professional this duo were.  They made both my husband and I feel relaxed and safe, and took the time to answer questions and encouraged my husband to also have skin to skin with our baby.  I did, unfortunately, suffer a tear that had to be repaired in theatre but this was yet another positive experience in my delivery journey.

The entire theatre team I encountered (I was in theatre during the shift change so met both night staff and day staff) were incredible.  James, the anaesthetic assistant and Dr Campbell, the anaesthetist, deserve a special mention as they ensured the spinal injection procedure was swift and relatively painless and chatted to me throughout.  The rest of the team in theatre (too many names to remember!) were extremely professional and it was evident that they all enjoy their jobs and like working together.  It was a lovely, friendly atmosphere and I could not have asked for better care.  I received the same high standard of care in recovery, where I was reunited with my husband and son.  We were able to have a couple of hours together while I recovered and ate my weight in toast and tea.  Again, the recovery staff were brilliant - friendly and supportive, nothing was too much trouble.

I had to stay overnight in Summerfield ward, and received excellent care there also.  I was in a 4 bed room by myself initially, the staff were always popping in to make sure I was ok and would check if I needed anything.  They were friendly and approachable, again nothing seemed too much trouble.  This was especially welcome given my husband wasn't allowed to stay due to the covid restrictions.  I was encouraged during my attempts to breastfeed, and was supported by a fantastic healthcare support worker while I had a breakdown and decided breastfeeding wasn't for me.  At no time did anyone make me feel like I was wrong for making this decision, I was given encouragement and assurance that I was doing what was right for me.

Overall my birth experience at AMH was brilliant, I can't fault a single aspect of the care I received at any point.  Every member of staff I encountered was professional, friendly and genuinely seemed to care about the patients and love what they do.  My sincere thanks and gratitude to each and every one, you are all a credit to your departments and to the NHS.