"Pregnancy and Birth"

Towards the end of my pregnancy my baby was found to have IUGR, initially I was scared and couldn’t help but worry for my baby and their well-being. I immediately began receiving antenatal care in AAU consisting of regular ultrasounds and regular monitoring of my baby.

The team of midwives and doctors here were fantastic and after every appointment I always left the hospital feeling reassured and well cared for.

The decision was made to book in an induction of labour at 37 weeks for the safety of my baby. Being a first time Mum the thought of labour and birth was pretty scary. The night my induction was scheduled for I arrived at the hospital and was greeted by a midwife who was kind and reassured me when I told her how nervous I was. She was very supportive during the procedure to initiate the induction and made sure I was ok.

The next morning I was taken through to the birthing suite, as my husband and I waited for the Doctor to come I was super nervous and thought to myself “I wonder who my midwife will be” and “I hope they’re nice”. 5 minutes later my midwife Jackie walked in and introduced herself and immediately made me feel at ease. We then met Dr Adrian who immediately established a rapport with my husband and I through his good sense of humour whilst still remaining professional.

I felt so relieved to be entering such an exciting time surrounded by such positive medical professionals. I then also met midwife Nina who’s care was incredible, throughout my labour and birth she was kind to me, extremely patient, empowering and always used a gentle, soft tone when she spoke to me, it made such a big difference. During my labour I also met the shift coordinator Midwife whose name I think was Janine (sorry contractions are rough) but she was also kind and reassuring and made me feel comfortable. 

Things progressed quickly and I gave birth to my first child alongside my husband with the assistance of all 3 midwives and Dr Adrian, all of who I feel are nothing short of amazing at their job! My birth was such a positive experience for me and something I will treasure forever. I am so happy I had the team that I did and will forever be grateful for their significant roles in the most special day of my life. I hope they receive the recognition they deserve because “thank you” will never be enough to describe the depth of my gratitude to them all.