Celebrating the work of Warrington Hospital’s marvellous midwives

But there is much more to it than that, and we want to recognise the ‘hard but rewarding’ work of the marvellous midwives at Warrington Hospital.

It was International Day of the Midwife yesterday, Thursday, and we visited the Lovely Lane site to speak to those working to ensure babies and their families are happy and healthy.

This year is special, as it is 100 years since midwifery became legally recognised in Britain a century ago in 1902.

One staff member who works on the neonatal ward on a regular basis is advanced neonatal nurse practitioner Laura Iley, who specialises in neonatal life support.

Laura has 20 years of neonatal nursing experience and is key in training junior doctors for neonatal procedures.

“We attend all high-risk deliveries for pre-term babies, and care for babies that are in difficulty before being born or are in need of additional help,” she said.

“I fell in love with neonates and specialised in that area. It is an absolutely fantastic job, and every day is different.

“The pace is quite fast all the time and you have to adapt, but the best bit is seeing the babies go home at the end.

advanced neonatal nurse practitioner Laura Iley

“It is rewarding, and while there are sad days that are tough, thankfully the good days outweigh them.

“As do the relationships you build up with families through their massive journey, as having the baby is just one small aspect of that.”

Laura, who is from Warrington, says she feels she flourishes in the intensive care area, which is why she grasped her job with both hands when it came up, and she has gone on to train a second advanced neonatal nurse practitioner.

“A lot of people do not know neonatal units exist until they unfortunately have to visit one, and it is the worst day of their lives when their baby ends up on the unit,” she added.

“Like adult intensive care, it is the last place you want to be, but watching parents and babies grow as a unit and when they go home is the best bit of the job, and it is why we are here.

“We have a fantastic team and they work really hard, and while it is tough at the moment, what I can say they are a great team and we all get on very well.”

Another member of the Warrington Hospital team whose work is being celebrated this International Day of the Midwife is midwife Celena Biggs.

She supports families throughout the pregnancy journey, from prenatal to birth and then antenatal support.

“I work on a complex team for women who need additional support, such as language issues or mental health needs, or helping mums who have previously had traumatic deliveries that need a bit of TLC,” she explained.

“From school it was something I wanted to do before life took over. I returned to pursue my career later, starting off as a healthcare assistant and returning to college and university.

Midwife Celena Biggs

“I love my job, and it is the most rewarding job you can have. It is not just about delivering babies, as there is a lot more to it than that.

“People think we just cuddle babies, and we would love to, but we look after mums from booking in, through the pregnancy, through labour and antenatally with breastfeeding and sleeping.

“The team here is really good – everyone is really welcoming, supportive and pulls together when it is needed, so I am really enjoying my job.”

Warrington Hospital itself celebrated International Day of the Midwife by praising the vital work of staff in bringing new lives safely into the world.

An internal message circulated by the trust read: “Midwifery was built on the wisdom of women being with women, and instinctively caring for women during the birth of their baby.

“The profession has grown significantly in terms of how midwives are trained and the underpinning of care and skills they provide.

“In more recent times, maternity services across England have been in the spotlight, which has driven the development of Warrington and Halton hospitals’ services further.

“The trust has significantly invested into our service and enabled our maternity service to grow in line with best practice, to enable midwives and the team to empower women to make the right choice for themselves and their baby.

“Warrington and Halton hospitals’ are proud to offer 100 per cent of women continuity of care, and we are futureproofing the best role of being a midwife.”