Gift Ideas for midwife

[Clairemom3]

v\\Hi I'm 39, a mother of two lovely children, and recently gave birth to my third baby July 31.

I had a precipitous birth (went from 4cm to complete in just over an hour!). To be frank, it was the most intense, painful and scariest thing I have ever experienced. I literally thought I was going to die. I am still a bit traumatized by it; very surreal. It was so intense and painful (near the end the contractions were one on top of the other with no break in between)I lay there crying and screaming my head off and thinking if I had a gun..I grasped the bedsheet and was literally clasping and clinging to my husband for dear life! I'd love to share Megan's birth story one day,

Anyhow, I had this wonderful, very young midwife (24) named Lauren who despite her age was amazing. She was the one person I connected with; unlike me who was so lost in what I could describe as an out-of-body experience she was so calm and in control.

At one point, I was in great pain, total despair and literally about to give up when Lauren looked me in the eye and said to me, repeat after me and then made me tell myself that I could do this, its okay to be scared and and that I was safe. It was just so empowering to hear myself say that - I could literally cry thinking about it right now. After that, I delivered my baby girl! .

I want to thank and give her a gift but don't know what exactly you could give someone that could adequately express the amount of gratitude I feel? Any suggestions?

Midwife here!

I value cards far more than gifts (but I do quite like those too !), and I think what you wrote in your post is beautiful, and would be perfect to personalise to Lauren in a card.

As for gifts: not chocolates (there’s an unwritten rule that we have to share them), but a bottle of wine or flowers are always appreciated. Did she mention any interests or hobbies? Or make her up a little ‘treat box’ with things like nice tea bags, bubble bath, hand cream, a bag of maltesers, a G&T can?

It’s very lovely of you to want to go out of your way to thank her

I gave my midwives a handmade card and hand printed tote bag each with biscuits, bath stuff, candles and dog treats (for the one who had a dog!).

I also gave cards to midwives I saw regularly during my pregnancy, and gave a big box of biscuits to the community midwife team so they didn’t have to share.

Also a midwife....cards always appreciated, means so much. And yeah wine! Ha

I’m planning to give my midwives one of these bags positivebirthmovement.teemill.com/product/fruit-dilation-tote-bag/

With a card. Last birth I found some lovely cards at the art gallery that featured breasts (but not porny).

We gave our midwife a birth announcement card with a personalised message on it and she was over the moon. I'd feel like the guessing game of what chocolates or wine they might like is just too hit and miss, but everyone loves a thank you card.