It’s hard to find the words that will accurately express our gratitude to our midwife Wendy, or the profoundly positive impact that she had on both myself and my husband during my pregnancy and indeed beyond. Going into a pregnancy with Bipolar Disorder we were so aware of the many risks and challenges we faced. We were, despite being as prepared as we could be, absolutely terrified of what lay ahead.

From the very first appointment we had with Wendy, that fear and apprehension started to lessen as we felt her kindness, knowledge, and support. As a mental health specialist, Wendy’s clinical knowledge and experience meant that we were constantly reassured and educated by her. We were never patronized with false promises of empty platitudes, she was straight up and always, always positive, little by little instilling confidence in us that we could do it. Wendy went far above and beyond from day one. She called me weekly, counseling me through my father’s terminal cancer diagnosis when I was 16 weeks pregnant, chasing doctors for better answers when I faced physical challenges from acute PGP from just 8 weeks, and researching and seeking out information for me when I was dealing with other more unpleasant effects of pregnancy at 20 weeks! She understood the challenges that I faced were both physical and emotional and the link between them, and the lack of family support I had, taking on an almost maternal role in the way she supported me. When the level of care I had through my own trust became evidently so poor it was actually having a detrimental effect on my mental health she arranged for me to be seen by a psychiatrist at The Homerton - a relationship that was pivotal in my pregnancy in getting my medication sorted and a care plan in place. She organised a visit to the MBU and spent hours that day answering both my questions and my husband’s, introducing the wider team to us, and generally demystifying the whole idea of in-patient care and reassuring us that should we need it, it would be a positive experience and we would always have her support.

Her patience with me and my anxiety and many, many questions were astounding. She never faltered. When our baby was born, she was born extremely unwell and spent her first 9 days in the NICU. A was born on Friday and Monday morning at 7 am who should I see at the door of my side room but Wendy, armed with hugs and endless empathy and reassurance and plans for how she could support us. She greeted us on the ward at A’s bedside every day that week. She tracked down a tongue tie expert to help us and built a relationship for us with the breastfeeding expert nurse, two people who had a huge impact on me in helping me to establish breastfeeding in the NICU - something I don’t think I would have been able to do myself in the midst of the shock and trauma of the moment. It was very clear that Wendy is hugely popular with the other staff and that because of this, they took us under their wings to get A breastfeeding which was no easy or quick task. Again, Wendy understood how important it was for me to breastfeed.

Looking back now at the pregnancy and the birth and those difficult first weeks, I feel amazed at how we got through it and without a relapse. I have stayed well, and actually feel happier than I ever have. So much of this is due to Wendy and her support, and how much she empowered both myself and, importantly, my husband. Her faith and confidence in us, her positivity, care, support, and endless clinical knowledge helped us so much. We won’t ever forget her! She is an absolute credit to Homerton and the NHS and deserves to be recognised for the absolute excellence she delivers in patient care.