The prestigious award is one of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Annual Midwifery Awards, recognising the incredible work done by exceptional midwives across the country.
Midwives play such a critical role in so many mums’ lives and the Emma’s Diary Mums’ Midwife of the Year Award enables them to pay a heartfelt tribute to their own special midwife who truly surpassed what was expected of them.
Sophie experienced sudden pre-eclampsia in the final days of her first pregnancy. Spotted by her midwife, Mary, at her last 40-week check-up, it quickly become an emergency situation. Whilst getting to the hospital should have been relatively straight forward, Sophie needed an ambulance immediately, but the Beast from the East snowstorm was causing serious disruption and delays.
Sophie who nominated Mary for the award said: “‘I was experiencing a lot of swelling and sickness in the last week of my pregnancy, which I had simply put down to being heavily pregnant. When I realised my situation was serious, I knew I needed to get to hospital.
“The weather had been getting progressively worse and I feared it was going to cause a problem. Mary phoned for an ambulance and called my partner, Ryan. She also began conversations with the labour ward, explaining the severity of the situation and the need for a bed despite not yet being in labour.
“Mary was calm and reassuring during the three-hour wait for the ambulance, constantly checking my blood pressure and my baby’s heart-beat. She stayed by my side for the entire time. Within minutes of arriving at the hospital, test results confirmed pre-eclampsia and that Noah was in distress. The team decided that an emergency C-section was the safest way to bring Noah into the world, which they did and for which I am eternally grateful.”
Sophie added: “Mary continued to visit me at home for the next five days to check on my heath, help me with my injections and remove my staples. Mary made a huge impact on my entire pregnancy and was so professional and calm. Despite everything, I had a really positive experience and it would not have been the same if I hadn’t had Mary as my midwife. I cannot thank her enough for what she did.”
On winning the award, Mary, who works for United Lincolnshire Hospital NHS Trust said: “I felt very emotional when I heard about Sophie’s nomination and winning the Emma’s Diary Mums’ Midwife of The Year award for the Midlands region. I am totally amazed that someone could remember the care I gave with such clarity. It means so much to me to be recognised in this way and to know I had such a positive impact on Sophie’s pregnancy and birth experience. Thank you, Sophie.”
Emma’s Diary, the UK’s essential support resource for mums to be and new parents, received a record 953 nominations from mums across the UK. All entries were put through a meticulous judging process by a panel of representatives from both Emma’s Diary and the RCM, culminating in seven regional winners.
The RCM’s Annual Awards, now in its 17th year, will be hosted for the first time by popular TV presenter Alex Jones on Tuesday 5 March 2019. Mum of one, Alex, best known for hosting The One Show, is currently pregnant with her second child. Mary will join the six other regional winners at a celebratory awards ceremony in London, where Mary will receive her trophy and find out who is crowned the coveted national winner.
Faye Mingo, Emma’s Diary’s Chief Marketing Officer, said: “This is now the fourth consecutive year that we have sponsored this award and the compassion and dedication demonstrated by these midwives continues to blow us away. We have yet again been overwhelmed with entries from mums nominating their extraordinary midwife for the pivotal role they played in their pregnancy and birth journey. Reading their stories is a truly humbling experience and we are so delighted for Mary, who is so deserving of this extra recognition.”
Gill Walton, Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, said: “This well-deserved recognition for Mary highlights the caring, dedication and determination of midwives to do the very best they can for women, babies and their families. Mary supported Sophie through what could have been a very distressing time, with a calm and professional approach, and continued to care for her and baby Noah, postnatally. I congratulate Mary on the quality of care provided and am delighted that this has been recognised through the Emma’s Diary’s Mums’ Midwife of the Year Award.”