"Outstanding care from every member of staff -..."

We had originally hoped for a home birth with our first child - that we ended up with an instrumental delivery under epidural in theatre & still feel really positive about our experience is entirely thanks to the care we received. Staff were not only capable & skilled (which I think saved both our lives), but treated me with respect, warmth, compassion & humour at every stage.

Our excellent midwives made every effort to support our preferences for labour, & when it became apparent that the birth was not progressing as I'd hoped, assistance was timely & calm. Despite it being apparent that my 10lb 9oz OP baby wasn't going to arrive without help, & that we needed help quite quickly, both the doctor & the anaesthetist made time to fully explain our options, acquire informed consent & soothe my worries. We were taken to theatre where an epidural was placed (I will forever be grateful to the doctor/nurse who sat and held my hands & my gaze when I was terrified; it made the unfamiliar situation feel human and tolerable) & a manual rotation was attempted. When the baby became distressed the doctor performed an episiotomy & delivered him with the help of forceps. This was visibly hard work & an urgent situation - the team still found time to reassure & encourage me, & once baby arrived, struggling, went out to let my sister know he had arrived (& gave her a big hug: thank you!), took photos of him so I could see his face (again thank you, this made such a difference), & took care of him & me.

We were on the HDU for 2 days, where midwives went above & beyond in helping me feel capable & confident - the support with establishing breastfeeding was invaluable, & I am in awe that people can be so warm, kind, & helpful even at the end of a 12 hour shift. The doctor who delivered our son & the anaesthetist both came to see how we were doing the following day, which was much appreciated. The health care assistant who helped me to shower and feel human again after birth was so calm & supportive (I was weak from blood loss, but as well as literally supporting me, she helped me through the shock of encountering my post-birth body!).

We then moved to the postnatal ward where my husband was able to stay overnight (brilliant!), & again, breastfeeding support was outstanding.

I have had friends experience technically similar deliveries and go on to suffer PTSD as a result: we have talked about it and the only difference we can find is that, from admission to discharge and by staff at every level, I was treated as an individual, listened to, respected, provided with clear explanations, supported, and made to feel that I was capable and deserved to be proud. I cannot overstate the value of this, or thank the maternity team enough - it's down to you not only that I'm typing this awkwardly with a healthy, exclusively breastfed baby sleeping on my lap, but that I am at peace with his entrance to the world and am fit and well, physically and emotionally, myself.