"These amazing people are a credit to their vocation"

Before my birth experience, I was visiting the Royal often as I had Gestational Diabetes and additional growth scans for my baby. To say I didn’t love this part of the process would be an understatement.

I did not enjoy being pregnant and the Tuesday diabetes clinic was exhausting and arduous, although a necessary evil. I didn’t always feel listened to here either. However, the two people that stood out here were diabetes midwife Jacqui and consultant Dr Elias. Their kindness during a very stressful time meant the world to me.

I had a planned c-section in October 2023 and the team in Maternity Theatres and Johnston House were honestly second to none. Dr Priscilla was my surgeon and I had a wonderful anaesthesiologist who I’m embarrassed to say I can’t remember the name of…. She had just started working in Belfast after studying and working in Scotland- she was originally from Sligo (hopefully this helps to identify her - apologies).

My midwife was Collette and she was just amazing. I’m so delighted we had her there and I smile seeing her in my birth photos. She felt like a guardian angel throughout. There were also quite a few midwives/nurses called Julie who were all brilliant.

In Johnston House everyone was fantastic but I remember Louise in particular was wonderful at helping me express for my little boy who was tongue tied and also Barbara who corrected his tongue tie. I am so grateful to everyone who looked after me. I felt so safe. Honestly the care was second to none.

Finally, every one of the community midwives that came out to me during those first days at home was brilliant. Then my health visitor, Jayne, is another pair of safe hands and a credit to the Belfast Trust. She comes to see us fairly regularly as my little boy is small and gaining weight a bit slower than we’d like, but she has always been on top of it and making sure he is looked after and nothing more insidious is going on (which thankfully it isn’t!). She manages to strike the balance of common-sense, no nonsense advisor with a warm, approachable composure. A wonderful woman and an example of exactly what a health visitor should be.

I know often people review services when things are not what they expected but for me, since the day my baby was born, Belfast Trust has exceeded my expectations so I thought it was important to give kudos to these amazing people. They are a credit to their vocation.