"I can't thank you enough for my life and my baby's life"

Two days after my due date we came to Wishaw General to find out I was 5cm

We went home awaiting further progress. On my way home I was having excruciating pains up one side of my abdomen which I knew wasn't contractions (this was my third baby), we turned back, at this point I was panicking. When I reached the maternity unit my midwife took me in a room and I went to the toilet to find I was covered in blood and had passed a large clot, I immediately panicked. The midwife called for assistance. The following all happened in a space of 15minutes;

A number of specialists arrived (there's must have been 10 in the room) along with students. I was told I had a placenta abruption and had lost a lot of blood, I might need to be put to sleep to get the baby out and reduce risks to me and the baby. Quite frankly I thought I was going to die and if I didn't then my baby would. The specialist was Hamish, remarkably calm and so reassuring. I asked him at one point if I was dead which I can laugh about now. I was rushed to theatre the way I was, only to discover I was 10cm and had to deliver. There was even more specialist here and a resuscitation team at the back of the room. My husband was in shock, I held onto a specialist hand during delivery, again a remarkably calming man called Robert who I will never forget as long as I live. Also a specialist called William who had a great sense of humour and kept me going. The baby arrived and was rushed away, only to be brought back and us advised the baby was perfect. I had some skin to skin with baby the baby passed to my husband.

I then spent the next 90mins in theatre having the retained placenta manually removed. This was an utterly horrifying experience but I know it had to be done. I was given lots of drugs through drops throughout birth and the manual removal and also a spinal during manual removal.

To the triage nurse Julie, midwife, Robert, William, Hamish and each of nurses and the staff at Wishaw General, I cannot thank you enough for my life, and the life of my baby Alfie. Each of these specialist came to see me in my room afterwards. You all do an amazing job everyday and don't get near enough credit for the job you do.