Yahoo News Northern Lincolnshire's hospital heroes share their stories on International Day of the Midwife
Tributes are being paid today to all the midwives of the Humber region who make the experience for mums and babies “the best it can be”.
NHS Humber Health Partnership is marking International Day of the Midwife today (Sunday, May 5) by showcasing the work of midwives across Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Hull and Goole. Midwives from Northern Lincolnshire and Goole (NLaG) NHS Foundation Trust and Hull University Teaching Hospitals (HUTH) NHS Trust will be sharing their stories on the organisation’s social media pages to celebrate the fantastic contribution they make to health care.
Nicola Foster, head of midwifery at NLaG, said: “I am very proud of our midwifery teams and the care that they give and, on International Day of the Midwife this year, I would like to say a huge thank you to all of the midwives working within our maternity service. The teamwork, kindness and flexibility demonstrated daily is absolutely amazing.”
READ MORE:
Rukeya Miah, head of midwifery and neonatal services at HUTH, said: “I would like to thank all our midwives and midwifery support workers for all that you do to make the experience for our women, parents-to-be, babies and families the best it can be. I would like to pay a very special tribute to you all on the International Day of the Midwife 2024.”
Here are the stories from just two of the midwives who will be featured as part of the celebrations.
Louise Cooper – Community midwife, Brigg
Working as a community midwife, Louise will never forget helping one family following a traumatic first pregnancy. “One of the most special memories I have is supporting a woman and her family from her booking appointment throughout her whole pregnancy and in a beautiful birth at home, just as she had planned, after a traumatic time in her first pregnancy,” Louise said.
“It was great for her and for me to see a woman through her whole pregnancy experience, building a great bond and resulted in a great experience of birth.” Louise has been a midwife for more than seven years after completing her training at the University of Hull, working at Scunthorpe General Hospital on Ward 26, then on CDS and now in the community.
She decided to become a midwife after the same community midwife guided and supported her through all three of her own pregnancies. “She got me through some tough times,” Louise said.
“I’d always been interested in midwifery and mentioned it to her one day and she said to just go for it, so I did.” Louise works at Brigg Midwifery Centre in the antenatal clinics, dealing with various stages of pregnancy. She supports home births and also carries out postnatal visits, completing postnatal and baby checks.
Louise, who lives in Lincoln with her three children and two dogs, will be working on International Day of the Midwife this Sunday and she’s hoping to celebrate with cake. And, her advice to anyone wishing to follow a career in midwifery is just this – “If you have a passion and want to do it, do it!”
Amy Farrow – Continuity midwife, Grimsby
A high point in Amy’s career so far is caring for a woman through her surrogacy journey. “The atmosphere in the room was second to none – such excitement, love and joy,” Amy said.
“Caring for the parents and their newborn baby was delightful. It was a pure privilege.” Amy wanted to become a midwife after having her own three children and qualified in 2020.
She worked on Jasmine Team before joining Poppy Continuity Team in 2021, building up relationships throughout the stages of pregnancy as they attend their appointments at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby as well as in a community setting in the town one day a week. “Working in the continuity team, I get to build rapport with them, seeing them at their first booking appointment, throughout their pregnancies and then as a family once their babies are born,” she said.
Amy, who will be on shift today as we mark International Day of the Midwife, advises anyone considering a job in midwifery to “do it. She said: “Studying is hard work but worth it.”
