"The most amazing birth experience"

I gave birth on the Midwife Led unit on 16/05 and honestly felt like we could not fault the services of this team. Myself and my partner found the experience so positive and can honestly say we enjoyed the experience. The team could not have done enough for us and we were given as much support or privacy as we needed. The birthing room was set up beautifully (not unlike some of the birthing rooms I’ve seen at the Portland) and we were able to stay in there until we left with our little one. As first time parents we were so grateful to have had this experience and I really encourage other parents who are eligible to go on the midwife led side. We were a little worried about being away from doctors in case of emergency but when the red light was signalled as little one was struggling to breathe when she came out, we had over 10 people in like a shot, they kept us calm and within seconds they baby was happy and back in my arms. We personally did not feel that our care was in any way compromised and if anything, due to the ward being very quiet, I actually think we got a far better response than we would have had if we went into the consultant led unit as it is naturally busier.

I also wanted to leave some comments about the community midwife support received as I also feel we have had exceptional care in this regard also. Our community midwife has seen me for every single appointment since pregnancy and has even gone to the trouble of moving around holiday just so I can be seen by her continuously. She has made it to my home twice on times where home visits have been easier for me and has always been around to help me even out of hours. To me this is the true definition of ‘above and beyond’ and way beyond any expectations I had.

There’s a lot of pressure on the NHS (particularly maternity services) at the moment but I can honestly say we couldn’t have been more looked after and we were so lucky to come in contact with such wonderful people who truly deserve some positive recognition.