“I was 8 days overdue having Bella. My waters had gone on the evening of the 14th of June but nothing else seemed to happen. The following morning, I was called in to be induced, again there wasn’t any progression. On the morning of the 16th, I was sent to theatre for an emergency c-section, and at this point I was extremely anxious and scared. The midwives were fantastic and tried to keep me and my partner at ease. Bella arrived, finally!

Within the first 24 hours, the midwives had noticed that Bella was lethargic and would not feed. Being a first-time mum it’s hard to know what to expect within the first few days so I didn’t have a clue what was going on! Bella was sent for several blood tests, including a lumbar puncture.

We were then faced with our worst nightmare: we were informed by a paediatric consultant that Bella was extremely unwell. I cried, cried and cried. The midwives gave us great support during this time. A transport crew were sent to our hospital via air ambulance and Bella was taken to a hospital 2 hours away. Before I left the hospital the midwives truly went that extra mile to make sure my partner and I would be ok, especially travelling two hours in a car after a c-section.

After two weeks of having tests in the neonatal unit, Bella was discharged from the hospital. They confirmed she had contracted GBS and meningitis. Even during our stay away from home, the senior midwife was constantly checking up on us and she would contact the ward to make sure little Bella was ok. Without the support of these midwives, I truly believe Bella wouldn’t be here today. I cannot thank them enough for everything that they’ve done for us. They really are superheroes!

Two years later and were expecting our second child and we’re happy to say that we believe that we will be in great care at our small local hospital.”