"Wonderful care for the birth of our baby at Ipswich Hospital."

Very recently my wife's water broke. Following instructions provided at the pre-natal class (which we feel was highly informative and should be continued! ! ! ) we phoned the Birth Suite at Ipswich hospital and the mid wife advised us to make our way to hospital for an assessment. Upon arrival we were informed that all Birth Suites were occupied. As an alternative we were taken to a comfortable ward where a Mid Wife and Doctor monitored the labour for a couple of hours. We were given the option of returning home or remaining in the ward. As our home was a bit of a drive away and my wife did not find the drive to hospital very pleasant, we opted to remain in the ward as it was clean, comfortable and safe.

Three or four hours later the labour had progressed and we were led to a modern, spacious and clean birthing suite which was impressive to say the least.

Our birth was quite lengthy and it did not go one hundred per cent smoothly. It was decided that an epidural should be administered in an attempt to slow contractions. In the 11th hour of labour my wife was really starting to push. Unfortunately baby was starting to become slightly stressed. Once birthed our baby was fairly distressed and exhausted. As a result baby was taken (along with me) to the Special Care Nursery where baby was checked out and placed in an incubator to recuperate while Mum was in surgery. Mum and baby were brought together very shortly after surgery and within a few hours we were able to leave the special care unit as a family and set up camp in the maternity ward. The mid wives and support staff looking after us in the maternity ward were lovely and provided excellent care.

A few days later we were allowed to return home with a healthy and happy baby. Two days after we arrived home we received a home visit from Naomi. The visit was greatly appreciated and is a wonderful service as it allows Mum and Dad to ask questions about parenthood and receive additional care advice in the home environment.

I wish to thank all staff members involved in providing care and support to us during what could be described as a 'more difficult birth'. The professionalism, skill and empathy displayed by all members of the birthing team was exceptional. So much so, it is worth naming names - Consuela & Lisa (mid wives), Meredith (anaesthetist), Gloria (doctor), Matthew (doctor). I would also like to send a special thankyou to the mid wives in the nursery who looked after baby (and myself) while we were waiting for mum to return from theatre. You were all fantastic and frankly I was amazed at the worthwhile work you do each day.

It is also worth mentioning that on the day of our baby's birth there were nine other deliveries happening at the same time. This placed additional pressure on the Mid Wives, Doctors and support staff who took it in their stride and performed wonderfully.

Thankyou Ipswich Hospital, we are very grateful for the service and care you provided.