Local mum’s praise for maternity unit

Local mum’s praise for maternity unit

4 January 2012

AN Annsborough woman who gave birth to a baby boy at the Downe Hospital’s midwife-led unit on New Year’s Day is encouraging other would-be mums to use the facility.

Catherine McCulloch gave birth to her son at 3.55am on Sunday morning but has not yet given her fourth child a name.

The local mum’s other three children were born at the former Jubilee and Royal maternity unit in Belfast and at Newry’s Daisy Hill Hospital.

Her baby boy weighed in at a very healthy 8lbs and 2oz, with the proud mum describing the facilities on offer at the midwife-led unit in Downpatrick as “excellent.”

Catherine continued: “I can honestly say that I felt more at ease at the midwife unit in Downpatrick than at the hospitals I had my other three children.

“I was given the choice of having my fourth baby delivered at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald, but the facility in Downpatrick really appealed to me.

“One of the things which had a major impact on my decision to use the Downe was that the midwife I saw at my ante-natal class was the one who delivered my baby and the one who is now visiting me at home.”

Catherine revealed she was admitted to the midwife unit at 2pm on New Year’s Eve and was back home in Annsborough the following morning at 11am.

“There is a very friendly atmosphere at the Downpatrick unit and the continuity of care is something that really appealed to me.

“In other hospitals you wouldn’t have the midwife responsible for your ante-natal care delivering your baby and following that up with postnatal visits at your home,” she added.