Ronnie arrives to greet visitors to successful Downe maternity

Ronnie arrives to greet visitors to successful Downe maternity

23 May 2012 - by David Telford

IT wasn’t planned, but there was a new arrival right on cue at Downpatrick’s midwife-led maternity unit last week.

Little Ronnie Moore popped into the world as would-be mums were being given a tour of the unit located on the ground floor of the Downe Hospital during a special information evening.

Last Thursday night’s event was geared towards women thinking of having a baby and those who have just discovered they are pregnant, with baby Ronnie being born 20 minutes after the public started to arrive.

And while visitors didn’t have an opportunity to meet Ronnie’s proud mum Laura Holland, she has no doubt about the professional service available to local women and how important the midwife-led unit is for the area.

Her daughter Aleisha was born at the Royal Maternity Unit four years ago, but Laura said the Downpatrick facility was “far and away” a much better place to deliver her second child.

Cuddling little Ronnie in her arms, the proud mum said local women should use the Downpatrick facility which she described as “wonderful and a real home from home.”

Laura continued: “I wanted to deliver my second child at this unit and the experience was more than I had hoped for. The unit and the staff are brilliant.

“I would recommend this facility to anyone. The experience I had was so much better than the one at the Royal when Aleisha was born. The care before and after the delivery was second to none.

“This is a special place; it’s very friendly and relaxed and the staff are fantastic. My midwife stayed with me throughout my labour which was very reassuring. The birth itself was also relaxing.”

Laura opted for a water birth and said the fact the Downpatrick unit is local makes it so much easier for relatives and friends to visit. She said family support after a woman gives birth is so important.

“My experience here was everything I anticipated and more. I would recommend this facility to all expectant mums. The after care I received after Ronnie was born was also excellent. Things like this mean so much,” she said.

Laura said she had no worries, concerns or anxieties about using the midwife-led unit and would use it in the future if the occasion arose.

She added: “My experience in Downpatrick was totally different from the Royal. It certainly was more relaxed and the one-to-one care is excellent. “Here you have your own room whereas before I was in a ward with five other women and there wasn’t that much privacy. People were literally on top of one another.”

Laura said women thinking of having a baby should visit the Downpatrick unit to see for themselves what it has to offer and to view the “wonderful facilities” that are available.