Mary Meade's story: Winner of WaterWipes^® Pure Foundation Fund 2023

Whilst pregnant with my second baby last year I was diagnosed with placenta previa which resulted in a hospital stay of four weeks prior to delivery. As you can imagine, it was the hardest thing I ever had to do, to leave my then two year old boy at home and stay in hospital where you are fearful for your unborn baby as well as yourself. Having had previous miscarriages my anxiety was through the roof and to be honest I was just a complete mess. I had met Mary Meade in the antenatal clinics before and I cannot convey how nice a person she was, simply a lovely person you could talk to. Then when I was admitted to hospital, it was Mary who would pull back the curtains from around the bed to introduce you to the other long stay mothers as well. Mary the midwife absolutely loves her job and just oozes warmth. She makes you feel calm on your very anxious days, happy on your sad days and is always there to answer your questions no matter how busy the maternity ward is. I cannot emphasise how much she kept me and the other mothers so relaxed and content. Nothing was too much for Mary, one day she saw me reading a book and the next time she was on shift she landed in with a book for me that she knew I would like. Placenta previa is a high risk pregnancy and I was scheduled for a c-section, Mary knew my fears and when I was given the date Mary offered to come in on her day off to be with me in theatre, that was how dedicated she was and I have no doubt she still is. Mary encouraged all the mothers on the ward to chat, laugh and get along. I can honestly say I have made life long friends because of her and seven months later, when we all have a chat together with our babies Mary Meade's name always comes up. You could ask and say anything to Mary, she made me feel so at ease during what was a traumatic experience for me (multiple haemorrhages). I can honestly say that I would never have gone through those four weeks last November only for Mary Meade, she was my guardian angel in hospital that's for sure. Of course my fears turned to elation when my daughter was born via emergency c-section after a haemorrhage, Mary wasn't on duty but she arrived 30 mins before the start of her shift to see me and my new baby. In hindsight, it was so comforting to have Mary as a midwife on the ward, I could speak about how professional she was and indeed she was excellent but at a time when I needed a handhold she was there, her title was midwife but my God she was so much more than that. I think of her often with such fondness and I will be forever thankful to her for the help, support, compassion and empathy that she gave me during that time. At a time when hospitals are overcrowded and get bad publicity I can definitely say that I had the most amazing care but I also had the kindness of Mary Meade when I needed someone - as I said before she is more than a midwife, she is someone who went above and beyond to ensure that the mothers were happy and she gave us her all. I have no doubt that at the end of her long shift she was exhausted from us but she could be there for hours afterwards just to ensure we were okay. A truly wonderful person and midwife

Mary Keating