Menu
A maternity bereavement midwife who supports Worcestershire parents following the loss of a child has been shortlisted for a national award – and members of the public are now invited to give her their vote. Trudy Berlet, who works at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, has been shortlisted for Midwife of the Year in The Butterfly Awards, following nominations by three separate families who all cited the care and support they received from Trudy as helping them cope with their loss. The red carpet event honours parents who have experienced the loss of a baby, as well as celebrating some of the work done by the people and organisations that provide support to them.
Trudy is also spearheading a fundraising appeal to develop a second dedicated bereavement suite in the maternity department at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, where the Care Quality Commission (CQC) recently noted Maternity Bereavement Care as an area of outstanding practice.
Trudy said: “I was so honoured and surprised to have been nominated and shortlisted for this award. It is so humbling that bereaved parents find time in their most difficult hours to acknowledge others and what they do. “The Butterfly Awards is a beautiful, inspirational ceremony which brings awareness of a topic, which is all too often hidden away.”
Voting is now open and people can vote for Trudy via: https://finleysfootprints.com/trudyberlet
The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony which takes place on Saturday 27 October. To support the Maternity Bereavement Suite appeal visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/worcestershire-maternity-bereavement-suite
A Consultant Midwife from Worcestershire Royal Hospital has received international recognition after presenting her research findings at a birthing conference in Michigan, USA.
Caitlin Wilson was invited to attend the International Normal Labour and Birth Research Conference at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, after submitting two pieces of original research on maternity roles in the UK.
Caitlin conducted research through the University of Worcester, asking final year student midwives what their learning and development needs are in order to ensure they are prepared for the way care is organised in hospital environments.
A second study, carried out by Caitlin in conjunction with the Royal College of Midwives about the role of Consultant Midwives across the UK, was also presented at the conference which had over 350 attendees from all around the world.
In her role as a Consultant Midwife at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, Caitlin uses her expertise to advance midwifery practice through clinical leadership, research and education, to help ensure quality, safety and a positive experience in maternity care.
Caitlin said: “This was a great event for maternity care researchers across the globe to come together to share findings, learn about the international scene for maternity, network and collaborate.
“We all have the same goal of making maternity services safer, more effective and a positive, empowering experience for women and families.”
“Some key discussions took place about how we need to look at the questions we ask as researchers and start to look at issues in different ways to begin to answer these questions. It is important to contribute to research on the local, national and international stage wherever we can to help improve maternity services for those women in our care.”
Cathy Garlick, Director of Operations for Women and Children services said: “It’s fantastic that Caitlin was able to attend this conference and present some of her work on an international stage, showcasing how the role of the Consultant Midwife is helping maternity improve care and preparing our future midwives both in Worcestershire and across the UK.”
Around 30 mums and babies from across Herefordshire got together at the Courtyard Theatre, to take part in ‘The Big Global Latch On’ to promote breastfeeding, as part of world-wide celebrations.
To mark the occasion, on Friday last week and over the weekend, thousands of mums and their babies across the world gathered in their own communities to take part in the Global Big Latch On – a synchronised breastfeeding event in multiple locations.
Many mums start out breastfeeding their new born babies, but for a number of reasons, including lack of support and possibly feeling awkward breastfeeding in public, decide to stop by the time the baby reaches six to eight weeks old.
Breastmilk helps to boost a baby’s ability to fight illness and infection, lowers a baby’s risk of having asthma or allergies and the mother’s risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Arwen Nixon, infant feeding lead midwife from Wye Valley NHS Trust, said: “This event was a great opportunity to promote the benefits of breastmilk and the increased support available in Herefordshire to help mums make informed decisions about how they feed their baby. We want mum’s to feel confident and comfortable breastfeeding or giving expressed breast milk to their baby at home and when they are out about.
“In addition to the help available from our midwives, we have a team of breastfeeding maternity support workers and health visitors who can visit mums at home.
“This year, we’ve trained a new group of 12 peer support mothers, who have breastfed themselves so can understand how new mothers may be feeling, who run parent and baby sessions every day across Herefordshire, with support from health professionals or other voluntary groups – see details below, and tips and information are available on our Facebook page and breastfeeding app.
“Last year, we launched the Baby Friendly scheme and now 18 local businesses have signed up to show their support by displaying an easily recognisable window sticker to welcome families breastfeeding their baby.
“Not everyone chooses to, or is able, to breastfeed and our midwives and health visitors are available to support all parents with feeding options for their baby. We also encourage all parents to have skin to skin contact with their baby to help the baby, which is highly important to develop a close and loving relationship, and regulate the baby’s heart rate and breathing”.
For tips on breastfeeding follow @HerefordshireBreastfeedinginformation Facebook page or download the Start4Life Alex breastfeeding app by visiting www.nhs.uk/start4life/baby/breastfeeding/
Premises interested in joining the scheme should contact Kate Harding, breastfeeding support worker by emailing Kate.harding4@nhs.net
Wye Valley NHS Trust is proud to be working towards level 3 of the Unicef UK Baby Friendly Initiative standards, which sets high National standards of care for all mothers and their babies and supports informed feeding choice.
Breastfeeding helpline:
Breastfeeding support groups:
Fred Bulmer Centre, Hereford, 0am to 12pm. 07792 396 407
Widemarsh Children’s Centre, Hereford City, 1pm to 2.30pm. 01432 83430
Ross on Wye Children’s Centre, 10am to 11.30am. 01432 260700
HOPE Centre, Bromyard, 10.30am –12.00pm. 01885 488495
Midwives across the county held celebrations today ahead of International Day of the Midwife on Saturday May 5. Hospital and community midwives, and students, from Wye Valley NHS Trust marked the worldwide celebrations by dressing in historic and modern dress, and showcasing their midwifery inspired cake creations as part of The Great Midwifery Cake Off.
An information stand was held in Hereford County Hospital reception where midwives shared information with members of the public and visitors. On the maternity ward each baby’s birth was celebrated with a certificate signed by the midwife in attendance.
Maxine Chong, Head of Midwifery at Wye Valley NHS Trust, said: “In the last ten years, our midwives have delivered around 18,000 babies at Hereford County Hospital and at home. We are delighted to mark this occasion and this year’s international theme ‘midwives leading the way with quality care’. We’re extremely proud of our midwives and midwifery students, their achievements and dedication to provide high quality care for women and their families.
“Midwifery has changed significantly in the last 70 years since the NHS was first launched in 1948 and there have been many innovations and improvements to provide high quality, safe and compassionate care for women and babies. “We offer personalised care for women before, during and after birth, including antenatal education, home births, water births, one to one support around the time of birth, within our maternity ward and in the community, and access to additional specialised support for women choosing to breastfeed, and a breastfeeding app is also available, which can be easily downloaded onto a mobile phone.
“Midwives in Herefordshire benefit from the Trust’s midwifery academy which provides continuous support and training, and last year we introduced cutting edge technology – the lifelike Victoria childbirth simulator, that can be programmed to deliver a baby either naturally, assisted or via caesarean, and provides a fantastic opportunity for all staff that contribute to the safety of mothers and babies.”
Wye Valley NHS Trust secured funding from Health Education England to purchase the simulator ‘Victoria’ of which there are currently only 14 others in the UK.
To access the breastfeeding app, if you have an iPhone, visit the app store to download the app. If you have an Android phone, visit the Google Play Market to download the app.
If you would like to find out more about midwifery as a career or the service provided by midwives visit Royal College of Midwives website www.rcm.org.uk
Midwives from Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust are appealing for volunteers to help support women who are breastfeeding. Potential volunteers are invited to a meet-and-greet session on Thursday 2 November in the Charles Hastings Education Centre at Worcestershire Royal Hospital. Breastfeeding, where possible, can be the best option for new mums and their babies. Research has shown that it can reduce the risk of childhood infections, sudden infant death, obesity, diabetes and breast cancer. In Worcestershire, 73 per cent of mothers start breastfeeding straight away, slightly below the national average of 80 per cent. And after the first six weeks, this drops to 44 per cent.
Friendly volunteers from all over Worcestershire are invited to join a training programme to learn how to support pregnant women and new mothers. The volunteer role will involve 15 to 20 hours of free training with specialist midwives, upon clearance of the standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. Infant feeding lead Becky Davenport said: “Getting breastfeeding off to a good start can be difficult. By starting this network of trained volunteers, we will be able to offer new mums the help they need, when they need it.
“The volunteer programme is a great opportunity to work with NHS professionals, expand your knowledge and learn a lifelong skill – at the same time as contributing to your local community. There’s no experience necessary, but an interest in breastfeeding is essential. This will be the third year we have run this opportunity and many of our previous volunteers have gone on to do midwifery training.” Verity Worthington, from Kidderminster, had baby Freddie Worthington-Phillips at Worcestershire Royal Hospital and said: “I was so grateful for the support I received when breastfeeding Freddie. In the first weeks I was so glad that I had a number to call and lovely support on hand. The volunteers and midwives all do brilliant work.”
Come along to the meet-and-greet on Thursday 2 November, from 9:30am to 10:30am in the Charles Hastings Education Centre at Worcestershire Royal Hospital. The trust’s specialist infant feeding midwives, Becky and Caroline, will be on hand to answer questions and tell you about the training sessions that will be held at venues across the county.
If you’d like to attend, please contact Caroline Payne on 07879440264 or carolinepayne@nhs.net or Becky Davenport on 07767440971 or rebecca.davenport3@nhs.net
Mums to be in the Wyre Forest are benefiting from a new ‘one stop shop’ antenatal and postnatal service at Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre. Community and hospital services have been brought together under one roof for the first time, meaning pregnant women are now able to access and receive any care they need – throughout their pregnancy and afterwards – quicker and easier.
The development of the ‘Maternity Hub’ means community midwives, scanning midwives, antenatal clinic midwives, consultants and specialist advisors all work together, referring women into each other’s services on the same day – and often within just a few hours.
Karen Chapman, Maternity Hub Team Leader, said: “The Maternity Hub opened in November and we are gradually expanding what we can offer. The developments are in line with the recommendations laid out in NHS England’s Better Births document which sets out a vision for a modern maternity service that delivers safer, more personalised care for all women and every baby. We are already hearing really positive things from our parents-to-be – the overwhelming benefit is that they can now access services in one place and often in one visit which is much more convenient.”
Mum-to-be Rebecca Phillips, who is nearing the end of her pregnancy, said she had found it much easier having all of her appointments in one place. “Previously I was attending my clinic appointments at two different children’s centres and then having to come to the hospital for scans. Being able to just come to the hub and know that, should I need any further tests or scans I can just go across the corridor on the same day, is really convenient.”
Community Midwife Maria Birt said the Maternity Hub was also working well for staff. “We have really noticed the difference – we’re not spending as much time on the phone trying to sort out follow up appointments for other services. We can just talk to our colleagues within the hub and get things sorted out there and then – it’s great for the mums-to-be.”
The centre has also been made more child friendly, with a new Wendy House and children’s activities kindly donated by the Kidderminster Hospital League of Friends.
If the Maternity Hub model proves successful the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust hopes to roll the model out countywide.
