Ideas for presents for midwives?

[BrassicaBabe]

Hi

Contrary to much that I've read on the 'tinterweb, in the last 10 days I've had experience of many many nurses and midwives and not found a nasty one amongst them.

I worked my way from labour ward, to theatre, back to labour ward, maternity ward (about 7 days) and SCBU. Everyone was lovely!

I want to buy some thank you presents. I'd say they get enough chocolate. Has anyone got any ideas? Do I just go for a thank you card, or a donation to charity in their name?! I've got no decent ideas, but wanted to do "something".

I think we have quite a few lurker midwives here, so just wondering what might be apprecaited/wanted/needed.

Thanks
(quick post, not spell checked, babies have started to cry...)

I bought mine flowers, she was very touched. I think it's very easy to move on and forget your midwife and they do such an amazing job.

For general consumption we got some mugs, nice tea and coffee (they often have to supply their own), hand cream and foot spray (they're continually washing hands so often suffer dry skin, and spend a LOT of time on their feet!).

IIRC, for the individuals that had made a particular difference we got gift packs of toiletries.

Everyone seemed very pleased - particularly with the mugs, as seemingly Drs are notorious for having a cup on the ward and taking it away with them...

I got my CMW flowers but we had a home birth so slightly different situation.

Hand cream sounds a lovely idea but are they allowed to use it?

I never even give a thought to getting the midwife something

I think hand/foot goodies sounds like a good idea, as even if they can't use them at work they could use them at home after a long shift

I made our community midwife a 'Top Midwife' chocolate cake when she came for our last home visit before discharging DD2 - she seemed pleased!

I went for choccies and biscuits (quite a quantity) for the ECP/Paras who delivered my baby. :)

FWIW I think the idea of hand creams and foot sprays are great as is tea and coffee.... I just struggled a bit buying for men.

I actually asked a midwife on the ward when I was about to be discharged after an antenatal stay and her view was biscuits are great and go down very well on long shifts. I got a gift bag and filled it with a variety of packets of biscuits from premium to custard creams. Think went down well. For dd1 we bought the midwife who delivered her some very nice toiletries, having had a tip off as to which smell from a colleague of hers. But I wrote cards to lots of people who had made a difference and several commented on how much the words meant to them. Bet there aren't many gifts that go down badly tbh.

I agree - it's the fact that you've actually thought rather than what you do. I think anything suggested above is good.

I know when I sent my physio a card after delivery (I had terrible SPD last time to the extent I was seeing her weekly and spending most of each session in tears) she was really touched.

I know it's their 'job' but they get pretty rough treatment from me in labour (I'm not nice when I'm in pain!) so they all deserve a thank you at the very least!

lovely thought. cards to individuals are always kept.

and you can never have enough chocolate.

To those who didn't send anything, of course it's fine anyway, but I just sent a card to midwife who delivered ds...Two and a half years ago . She came this morning to see dd2 (born friday) and thanked me for lovely words saying it was a good reminder of how time flies

I have always left in boxes of biscuits, sweets and sucky sweets!! and a card.

I got my two homebirth CMWs gifts. Chocs, flowers, champ.

Especially since one of them arrived to be the 2nd midwife for delivery when she wasnt even on shift. She got childcare herself to come to help me- she knew me after doing most of my early antenatal care. I was very grateful as the first (and also amazing MW) was unable to get another MW from hospital and there there was talk of transfering me to hospital at 9cm. :-O

If you know who you are- thank you T!

I have a dedicated midwife who has been lovely throughout my whole pregnancy and I was thinking of giving her a Jo Malone candle as something different.

For those I meet on the delivery suite, I have some Quality Street ... cheezy I know, but hopefully still welcome (and I have eaten the two other gifts I bought ... smile)

Thank you for your great ideas. I met more people than I can count! So I'm going to make up a hamper containing tea and coffee and some decent hand cream they can use at the end of their shift.
Thanks again.

As a midwife, a lovely card means more to me than anything else! It means I must have done my job properly! So many times you wonder if you made a difference to someone!

I'm getting our IM a copy of the CD we were listening to during the labour.

I got my community midwife tickets for rugby at Twickenham (she and her DH are into rugby so not so odd really).
It was quite extravagant but she really went the extra mile for me after the birth and at first I didn't know how I was going to look after DD without her!
I didn't get the midwives in hospital anything but have written to the trust bosses to say what good care I had there.

I gave the midwife who was present at DD1's birth shortbread that I'd cut using a tiny foot shaped cookie cutter- a bit twee but still kinda cute.

For DD2, I let the midwife help herself to large quantities of the homemade fudge I'd been making whilst she arrived. I have some very odd nesting urges...

Single malt whisky, Manic Street Preachers tickets, Museum freebies (for those with children), cinema vouchers (ditto), BMW K1200GS.....
Chocolate is always welcome- it is Magic Midwife Fuel- we run on it. Posh chocolates even more so. Also, wine makes midwives clever, as well as Mummy!
Andy