MARVELOUS MAYA MIDWIVES

Another hospital birth

Despite mixed feelings about my first hospital birth, I was keen to have my second birth in a hospital. There were two main reasons for this: firstly I knew my pain threshold and wanted to have an epidural as soon as possible once I felt I had reached that point and secondly I wanted there to be a paediatrician “to hand” as soon as the baby was born just in case…

So why then Maya midwives?

The reason I opted for the services of Maya midwives was simply because during my first hospital birth I had not received the one to one care that I thought was a given. I assume that this was because on the night that I gave birth to my first born the hospital staff were over stretched. This time around I wanted the reassurance that someone would be with me the whole time throughout my labour.

Maya midwives were the only midwives I contacted who were willing to support me even though I had opted for a hospital birth.

Would I recommend them?

Put simply, were I to have another child, I would not do so without Maya midwives services. For more details I summarise below some poignant decisions that were made by Andy Parker (AP) during my second labour.

My story

We arrived at UCH hospital when I was in full labour. The pain was already such that I wanted an epidural immediately. When we arrived we were told (unbelievably) to go and wait in the waiting room as no rooms would be available for at least another hour maybe more. Promptly, AP took the decision to contact another hospital to see if they could admit us immediately. Without AP I would not have been aware that this was an option.

On the way to the second hospital, AP phoned the senior midwife to make sure a room and an anaesthetist would be ready for us upon arrival. They were.

Labour: 5 very intense hours. Throughout my labour AP held my hand and helped me to breathe properly. To those who have not experienced an intense labour this might not sound that big a deal. To me it was just about the only thing that kept me going.
The NHS midwife first language was not English. At times it was hard to understand what she was saying. AP kept me informed at every stage of what was happening. This was both helpful and reassuring.
My labour pains were intense. The NHS midwife suggested breaking my waters to speed up the process. AP suggested waiting as the waters help protect the baby and dampen the pain slightly. I went with her decision. The waters broke naturally about half an hour later. Again I felt AP had offered me advice that allowed me to make an informed and as it turned out, correct decision.

The epidural did not seem to be working effectively so I asked for a second opinion. AP was insistent on getting my request addressed immediately. The senior midwife was called in and another anaesthetist re-performed the epidural straight away.
Post birth AP advised me on the pros and cons of follow up jabs.
Both AP and Viv visited me everyday until I felt “normal” again after the birth. I knew they were at the end of a phone line 24 hours and that I could ask them anything and they would follow up any request straight away.

Maya midwives offer peace of mind – the perfect state to be in before, during and after a birth.