"Outstanding care at St Mary's maternity unit."

On 26th August I gave birth to my fourth baby girl at St Mary's Hospital. The level of care I received was so outstanding I felt compelled to share my experience with you. From the moment I arrived at the Labour ward to the minute I left the Alex Bourne Unit I received outstanding care from everyone including the receptionists, midwives, doctors, senior consultants, cleaners and caterers. I arrived at the unit early on Tuesday morning. The receptionist was friendly and welcoming. The reception and waiting area were clean and well attended. I was immediately brought a jug of water whilst I waited for someone to assess me. I explained to the midwife that I was keen to labour in the birthing pool if possible despite my previous complications in child birth. At my ante natal appointments I had been informed that the Unit had now purchased new wifi monitors which allowed mothers who needed to be monitored constantly throughout labour to move around and go in the birthing pool. The midwife listened to me and within half an hour of arriving at the Unit I was in a beautiful clean room with an ensuite pool room attached and two midwives and a trainee midwife attending to me. They all listened to me, were attentive and supportive and offered encouragement and support in my early stages of labour. Nothing was too much trouble, from rubbing my back to getting me a glass of water, everyone wanted to help me and do their best for me. However the one person I must bring to your attention for her care, skills, knowledge, compassion and professional ability is the midwife who looked after me during my entire labour. She looked at my history asked me how I felt about the birth and what my birth plan was. I told her how apprehensive I was about the birth due to previous complications. They were sympathetic and listened to my anxieties, concerns and wishes. As my labour progressed to the final stages they worked constantly to assess the level of risk in my choices, reassure me and give me the confidence to believe I could give birth to the baby naturally. She went the extra mile at every stage of the labour. She offered me constant physical care and emotional support. A stroke of the head, a squeeze of a hand, words of encouragement – all small but vital gestures which made me believe I could and would do it. She constantly worked to offer me different birthing positions, she was always thinking ahead of ways to help me. Because of her support throughout the labour when it came to the delivery I had such confidence in her ability and knowledge I felt safe with her. I knew I could trust her and this gave me the ability to concentrate solely on the next contraction. After the birth, every single person who entered the room offered me their congratulations, from senior consultants to the cleaners and caterers. It sounds a small touch but it’s a personal touch that makes you feel special and valued.