"Maternity care"

I attended Ayrshire maternity unit in March this year for induction of labour, as this was my first pregnancy, I was slightly anxious and didn’t know what to expect.

I was admitted on the Tuesday morning and my baby boy was delivered by C-section on Thursday night.

As well as this being my first baby it was also my first experience as a service user of the NHS and I have nothing but praise for the staff in the Maternity unit, especially the Midwives and healthcare assistants in their care for me, my baby and my husband and family.

I would like my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to be passed onto;

Denise – who looked after me in the labour ward the morning that my baby was born, she was an absolute star! She treated me with such respect, care, kindness and professionalism. I never once felt that I didn’t understand what was going on, I felt like I was part of the decision making process and included in the care of me and my baby.

Alison – She took over from Denise when her shift was finished. I would like to thank her for her professional and kind care and also for coming to see how I was the day after my baby was born.

Gillian – a ray of sunshine is the only way I can describe Gillian. She looked after me when I first went into the labour ward and then was with me in the evening when I had to go to theatre, knowing that she was in theatre made me feel safe and I can’t thank her enough for her friendly, professional care.

I didn’t manage to get the names of all the staff that cared for me but Anita, Kim and Laura, who looked after me in the inpatient ward, were also excellent.

The Anaesthetists and medics who looked after me were also fantastic and I would be grateful if you can pass on my thanks to them also.

There was one Doctor who I feel let the team down and I would like to discuss this with someone, in order for this person to be given the feedback. I feel the staffing in the inpatient ward is insufficient, I wanted to breast feed my baby and received very little support. The staff, mainly healthcare assistants were wonderful but clearly didn’t have time to support me and were rushed off their feet as were the Midwives. So, sadly I had to give up trying to breast feed.

I would also like to mention the staff in the outpatients department who are excellent too as well as the Community Midwives especially Susan, she was fantastic, so professional, calm and friendly and really put me at ease.

Overall the care I received at Ayrshire Maternity unit was second to none and I hope all the staff that work there are proud of what they do. I am a registered Nurse and on occasion I question the work that I do but to be at the other side of it and have such wonderful people look after me made me realise what an a important job we do and how much we are needed.