I want to be able to officially thank Maddy for her wonderful support during our daughter's birth.
Maddy was assigned to us in the labour ward. It was my first birth, and I was diagnosed with preeclampsia after coming into the ward, and so I had a drip to speed up contractions, and in the end had a forceps delivery and a complication in theatre, where I lost a fair bit of blood and had to stay in hospital with our daughter for a few days.
We couldn't thank Maddy enough for the kindness she showed us and the care and support she gave me throughout labour and afterward.
We found the last bit of labour quite difficult emotionally (and of course physically) and yet without Maddy's care, helping me and keeping me informed about everything along the way, I would have been one hundred times more scared.
We truly believe we have her to thank for our daughter getting so used to breastfeeding so quickly - she helped her to latch on whilst I was laying in theatre (such a genius idea!), and I really think it helped both me and my baby bond after labour.
We have only positive things to say about the care we received from everyone in the hospital during our labour, but have especially remembered the care we received that day from Maddy. I really do think Maddy helped us in ways she may not know. Her support for me was key. I was terrified for a lot of the labour, and yet her personable, friendly and knowledgeable personality eased a lot of my concerns.
I am so appreciative that Maddy was kind to my husband, who although may not have looked like he needed support (a gentle giant!) he did, and Maddy was able to support him when our baby arrived, helping him to get stuck into cutting the cord shorter, and weighing her. And as already mentioned, Maddy was key to my initial bonding moment with our baby, helping us to start our feeding journey.
Maddy came to see us in the ward the next day, which again I found a really lovely thing to do. Maddy did not need to check in on us, but I really appreciated seeing her, and that short visit helped me mentally to deal with the birth again, and it helped to make us feel like more than just a number/person in the ward. It helped make us feel like Maddy and the hospital cared about how we were getting on. It is these small things that make a difference after labour, and we truly appreciate the kind nature that Maddy showed us.
I really could go on and on all day about how Maddy's support was key in our birth story, and just how much of a difference she made to our day. She really did make an emotional situation much easier to handle, and I wanted to officially let you know how appreciative we are.
I never realised until labour, just how important a midwife is to a woman giving birth; and not just for the physical need, but for the emotional and supportive part they play in the day. Without Maddy's kindness and support throughout the day, I believe our birth story would have been remembered differently, and not in such a positive light.
We believe we have Maddy to thank for giving us some really positive memories of that day, even though the birth was quite a difficult one.
Maddy is most definitely in the right job, and I hope she continues to bless other mums and babies with her kind and friendly support.