I think my MIDWIFE was great because........

[VeniVidiVickiQV]

.......she went out of her way for me to arrange gp/physio appointments/iron tablet prescriptions because she knew how ill/in pain i was during pg. She is the best community mw ever.

I just wanted to redress the balance a bit in light of recent threads

Please post your fab mw stories too ......

I love my community MW's! I've known them since pregnancy with DD1 (nearing 4), they were totally encouraging of homebirth with DD2 (1) and still drop 'round for a cuppa now and then

My prenatal mw was fab cos she was very down to earth and reassuring about everything but at the same time willing to listening. My antenatal mw wasnt great (think it was a clash of personality tho rather than her being bad at her job or anything) but had a really nice one come round when had problems with bfing. My HV was the best too!! so have been very very lucky.

In fact have to say all the HVs I've met have been brilliant as I posted yesterday here

Erica at the JR in Oxford was wonderful to me postnatally because she listened, understood why I was desperate to leave but stuck to her professional guns while being really sympathetic and apologetic about having to keep me in.

Also when I presented her with a tray containing a large blood clot she didn't puke or say anything 'funny', she just had a good look and said 'Right, I'm glad you asked me but that looks OK'.

After ds1 was born she had tears in her eyes and she said "it doesn't matter how many times I see it, it's still a miracle"

and she was well into her 50's and had been a midwife all her life.

After ds1 was born she had tears in her eyes and she said "it doesn't matter how many times I see it, it's still a miracle"

and she was well into her 50's and had been a midwife all her life.

She made me feel important and cried when she discharged ds3.

awww - it means so much when they cry for/with you!

More lovely stories please!

(plus Mears and tiktok or any other MWs should come on here and say why they think they are fab too )

my midwife in the hospital when I was induced was an absolute gem. She'd read my birth plan - which at the top in huge letters said about my Vaginismus - so when she was putting the pessary in was really careful and slow.

Then she also took note of the fact that I'd really wanted an 'active' labour and not to be hooked to the monitor the whole time (it was a VBAC). Obviously because of being induced with a VBAC they were pretty insistent on making me be monitored. However, she kept me on the labour ward (ie not in a delivery room) for as long as possible so that I wouldn't have to be hooked up. Gave me LOADS of encouragement, reminding me that once I "gave in" and went in to get gas and air (and the full works as it transpired - none of which worked LOL) I'd probably be on a monitor for the rest of the time - or at least a lot of it - and I wouldn't be able to move around much.

Then when all pain relief, except for teh first pethidine failed and I was screaming out for a CS (had a gut feeling I wasn't pushing that baby out on my own - so what the hell just pull it through the sun roof) and the consultant was umming and ahhing and saying "perhaps we'd better" - she put her foot down and said "NO" (I'd written that unless it was 110% nessecary for mine or baby's health I was not having a CS) and the consultant changed his mind .

Then when I was still 9 1/2cm dilated they decided that they wanted to get the baby out - VBAC so risk of rupture the longer the labour went on - and decided it would be a ventouse delivery - but in theatre just incase it failed and I needed a CS. However when he came back and said everything was ready and examined me found I was (at last) 10cm - so told me I had to push for an hour! you must be kidding I told him - no you have to push.

Anyhow midwife encouraged me for about 20 minutes, then I gave up - I knew that baby wasn't coming out on it's own so why the hell was I going to exhaust my poor body anymore??? She agreed to let me stop and I just gave a half hearted push when I got the urge (not very often LOL).

Thankfully ventouse worked so I didn't have a CS - but my midwife really did everything she could to make my labour as close to my birth plan as possible

(not bad considering it basically said, natural as possible, and I had everything except the CS LOL).

She left me alone ndonly interfereed when she was needed. At the end. She did not make me do anything I didn't want. She did not even suggest examination.

She looked mein the eye when I thought I was loosing it and bought me through.

she was there 100% for me

I gave birth 10 weeks ago to my first baby. Was induced as 2wks late, MWs on ante-natal ward varied with each shift. I'm a nurse myself so got some respect from some and totally ignored by others because 'I'm of a medical background and knew what I was doing'!! I've never given birth before how was I supposed to know!! The only thing I wanted to stick to and was written in my birth plan was that I wanted my husband to tell me the sex of baby and no-one else, otherwise I was open to anything. Anyway, by time I got to labour ward 2 days after starting induction process, I was introduced to my MALE midwife, who was french and called Angel. Well.. he was amazing, I wish I could have brought him home with me!! He kept me sane, wouldn't talk to me unless I made eye contact and really understood what he was saying, he let me move around as much as I wanted, even ran me a lovely hot bath!! Nothing was too much trouble and his voice was so soothing and hypnotising! I ended up having a fantastic delivery with just gas and air, and a minimal tear, and seeing as Dd was 9Lb 13oz I thought that was quite an achievement. He'd even stayed an hr over his shift so I didn't change midwives at the crucial moment! He certainly lived up to his name, and stuck with my birth plan so my husband whispered in my ear the sex of baby! It was a wonderful experience and I can't wait to have the next one! Ha Ha!!

She saved dd1's life by reacting instantly when the heartbeat stopped registering, got the registrar and organised a ventouse delivery. Dd1 wasn't breathing but after resuscitation and a week in SCBU she was on the mend. She's now 6 and I have never forgotten that midwife - so Sarah at Watford General if you are a mumsnetter thank you from the bottom of my heart.

She read my birth plan and said "How lovely, a water birth - I love those!" She left us alone in a dimly lit room to get on with it in our own way until it was time to get into the water. She helped me have exactly the birth wanted. She told everyone we saw on the way to the ward what a fabulous birth we'd had. I will be grateful to her for ever.

My midwife was great because:

1. she gave me confidence
2. kept me calm
3. involved my partner
4. offered me pain relief but didn't push it when I wanted to stick with just tens machine
5. said my perineum was like old leather (due to too much horse riding) so made me laugh
6. put my daughter on my chest and helped her latch on for a quick feed as soon as she was born despite meconium in water & elevated heartrate
7. gave me a big hug as I was leaving the delivery suite.

The attending doc was also great as were the MWs in the post natal ward, helpful and sympathetic and pro bfing.

My first midwife was great because,

She was so freindly
she read my Birth plan word for word and stuck to it
She stayed for an hour after her shift to stay with me!!
She persuaded me it was too late for pethidine
I later found out she did all this and enjoyed my nice Birth as she was having lots of personal problems

She was brilliant, we took her in Champagne. My midwife for dd2's Birth was nice and efficient, couldn't fault her but not a patch on the first.

my commumity midwive s were fab, absolutely fab.dot who looked after me in pregnancy was just a love, karen who delivered ds was a calm unobtrusive presence who delivered ds as i wanted and went with my natural movements iyswim( ds was delivered on the floor!), dot then supported my decision to discharge myself against the advice of the hospital midwives and came in twice a day to check ds and take his temp etc, to enable me to be at home,she and rachel then got me through a horrendous b/fing experience- rachel being incredibly supportive and due to her i b/f ds until he was 12 months. this was despite 5 bouts of mastitis, and cracked bleeding nipples.

for some reason the hospital midwives were awful though.

She was with me for the births of all four of my babies. She respected my role as the birth giver. Everything was at my pace. She allowed me to lead the whole experience and was there to support me throughout.

When my first baby was born she put her on my belly and went to run me a bath with herbs and lit candles all around the bathroom. She tapped in to the magic of the atmosphere like a mother or close friend, rather than a professional, would and made all of my births (but especially the first one) wonderful experiences to cherish forever.

She was tireless and scrupulous in helping me breastfeed and was willing to support my views simply because they were mine.

She's one of the most important women in my life and I'll never forget her.

WARNING TMI

when i pooed during pushing with my dd3 i was so embarrased. i couldnt stop saying
"oh my god i pooed "
"its smells i dont want that to be the first thing my baby smells"
"god it stinks"

the midwife then made a joke with my ddddp that
"it wasnt you that smells it was *** he farted , didnt you ? "
lol they just made a joke and i welcomed my baby into my arms and forgot all about it .

The MW at ds's birth let me cling to her and sob and cry when the pain was getting too much. When things weren't progressing and I was panicking and screaming 'get me a CS' she kept me going. She was incredibly focused when pushing and let me take the lead. ds needed ventouse but it was the vaginal birth I'd wanted.
My ante- and postnatal MW was just fab, calm, down-to-earth, supportive, a rock during our slightly bumpy start with ds, she came every day for a while, I could call her and she always rang back.

PMSL muma3. I remember that part of labour so well. Really revolting, but also it signifies you're near the end and it's the baby's head pushing out the poo. My midwife says it's like squeezing toothpaste out of a tube. Nice!

No-one warns your about these indignities eh?

How wonderful to hear such positive stories!
I'm expecting my first in 5 weeks' time, so it's good to hear the happy as well as be warned about the bad things that can happen.
Midwifery is such an amazing job - I must admit that through this preegnancey part of me has wondered if I could retrain to be one
(maybe not - I only qualified as a teacher last year )

(and as such, I should reassure you all that I can spell pregnancy ! at my typing...)

I was having a VBAC plus being induced as my labour stopped completely after my waters breaking.
My midwife was fantastic, although I had a drip in my hand, and was strapped to a monitor, she did everything she could to make me comfortable.
After an hour I had an urge to stand ( and subsequently push), and she helped me up wires and everything in a real mess. Then sat on the floor holding the monitor on me to check dd2 was alright. The poor woman's arm must have been killing her !!
Ive never had such a happy and relaxed labour, and from start to end took 3 hrs 15 minutes.
She let me a have a natural 3rd stage, and left dh and I alone for over an hour to bond
I loved the whole experience!
Thank you all the great midwives out there !!

1. she read my birth plan & discussed it with me despite the fact I'd been raced up to labour ward in transition.
2. she ignored my pathetic wailings of "I can't do it" and "give me an episiotomy now pleeeaaaase"!
3. she was so good at covering up the fact I'd shat myself that I didn't realise I'd pooed giving birth until DH gleefully told me afterwards .

My first midwife was wonderful because;
she read my birth plan and respected it and helped me stick to it
she gave me all the encouragement I needed to get through it
she explained to me everything that she was doing
she poured water over me as ds crowned, instant relief
she did an impression of a cat giving birth when I was despairing and got me going again
she convinced me not to leave the hospital after I'd delivered the head
she stayed with me past the end of her shift to see ds into the world
she arranged for my dad to come down to delivery suite after I'd had ds to see us as he'd just had a heart attack and was on the cardiac ward at the other end of the hospital fretting
she came and said goddbye the next day and hugged me and dh goodbye
My second delivery didn't even come close to comparing to the exceptional care I got when ds1 was born.