Beth Deely, Registered Midwife

I would like to recognize Beth for the extraordinary compassion, kindness, and care she showed me during one of the most traumatic and vulnerable moments of my life.

I was blue-lighted into the hospital after an attempted home birth due to significant meconium and because the Entonox I had at home was no longer managing the pain. By the time I arrived, I was physically exhausted and in a ridiculous amount of pain. Emotionally and mentally, I was completely battered.

I was grieving the loss of the home birth I had hoped and planned for, panicked about what was happening, and terrified for my baby and myself. I was not in a rational place mentally. I had experienced postnatal depression with my first baby, and in that moment, I truly believed this was my punishment- that I was a terrible mum and that this birth was a sign of how badly I would fail this time too. I felt scared, out of control, and utterly broken.

A memory I will take to my grave is Beth’s kind face looking at me and asking me what I wanted for my birth. She understood immediately when I told her I wanted to be at home. She didn’t dismiss my grief or brush over what I had lost. Instead, with incredible compassion and understanding, she gently redirected me and asked what I wanted now from my hospital birth. In that moment, she acknowledged my pain, both physical and emotional, while helping me find a way forward.

Beth protected my birth preferences wherever possible and made me feel like I still had choices and control in a situation where I felt I had neither. She advocated for me, listened to me, and treated me as a person rather than just another patient.

What stands out most is the way Beth made me feel safe. Her calm, measured voice, steady eye contact, and the way she held my hand grounded me when I felt like I was spiraling. She sat with me, held my hand, and gently patted my head with a cold flannel while I cried and panicked. She took an interest in me as a human being and not just a woman in labour.

Her compassion was so profound that she stayed with me past the end of her shift. She didn’t have to stay, but she chose to. She remained by my side and helped calm me enough to continue labour. My contractions had actually slowed during my panic, and with her reassurance and support, they started again.

Beth’s care changed the course of my experience that day. What happened will never be a comfortable memory for me and will forever bring me to tears. It was traumatic, frightening, and deeply painful. But within that trauma, Beth was a light.

She did not make false promises or try to dismiss what I was going through. She simply met me where I was with compassion, patience, and kindness and did everything she could to make an unbearable situation feel safer and more manageable.

Because of Beth, amidst the fear and heartbreak, I felt seen. I felt heard. I felt protected. I felt safe.

I will never forget her kindness, her patience, or the way she stayed with me in one of the darkest moments of my life and truly tried her very best to help me through it. I will never forget Beth, and I wholeheartedly believe she deserves this recognition.