Perdita Jeffers
June 2021
Perdita
Jeffers
,
RM
Delivery Suite
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Leeds
,
West Yorkshire
United Kingdom
The moment we met Perdi she put us at ease with her knowledge of our unusual situation, and empathy to all of our needs.
Perdi was our named midwife and spent the duration of our admission, from arrival for induction until shortly after the birth, as our midwife. The care we received was exemplary. L was a long-awaited precious arrival after years of IVF and ultimately a surrogate pregnancy. This combined with the restrictions imposed by COVID-19 social distancing, meant that Perdi was not only caring for a lady giving birth, but also a mother awaiting the arrival of her daughter whilst supporting her friend through labor.
Ideally, we would both have had our husbands with us, supporting us individually, and although they were within the hospital, it was particularly daunting for us all to be separated. The moment we met Perdi she put us at ease with her knowledge of our unusual situation, and empathy to all of our needs. She was aware we would need to communicate regularly with our partners. She was careful to ensure that the needs of both women were addressed individually, directly, and in a sensitive manner. She was clear and confident in her advice, making any decisions easy to make. She took time to find out what our wishes were once the baby was born, and she communicated these clearly to colleagues so that L was delivered directly and beautifully to Mum, whilst at the same time ensuring that the surrogate was cared for sensitively and discretely.
Perdi had our complete trust, which once labor was established made such a huge difference to both of us. And it is this, especially that we want to say thank you for. Surrogacy has been a team endeavor and for the immediately peri-natal period, Perdi was, without doubt, a member of our team and we will all be eternally grateful for the role she had in welcoming L into the world. We also acknowledge the contribution of her colleagues within the department in making our experience unforgettable, but the memory of Perdi's presence in the room in the build-up to the birth and her calm and professional manner will stay with us forever.
Ideally, we would both have had our husbands with us, supporting us individually, and although they were within the hospital, it was particularly daunting for us all to be separated. The moment we met Perdi she put us at ease with her knowledge of our unusual situation, and empathy to all of our needs. She was aware we would need to communicate regularly with our partners. She was careful to ensure that the needs of both women were addressed individually, directly, and in a sensitive manner. She was clear and confident in her advice, making any decisions easy to make. She took time to find out what our wishes were once the baby was born, and she communicated these clearly to colleagues so that L was delivered directly and beautifully to Mum, whilst at the same time ensuring that the surrogate was cared for sensitively and discretely.
Perdi had our complete trust, which once labor was established made such a huge difference to both of us. And it is this, especially that we want to say thank you for. Surrogacy has been a team endeavor and for the immediately peri-natal period, Perdi was, without doubt, a member of our team and we will all be eternally grateful for the role she had in welcoming L into the world. We also acknowledge the contribution of her colleagues within the department in making our experience unforgettable, but the memory of Perdi's presence in the room in the build-up to the birth and her calm and professional manner will stay with us forever.