A Milngavie mum whose baby stopped breathing moments after birth is praising the midwives who saved her baby girl’s life.
Stephanie Thomson (32) gave birth to baby Emilie at the Queen Elizabeth University hospital on 31 May and said her midwives Amy MacDonald and Mags Torrance were “cool, calm, collected and in control” at all times.
Stephanie said: “They saved my little girl’s life when she stopped breathing minutes after birth and took it all in their stride. After Emilie was born she cried normally and everything seemed fine. There had been doctors present at her birth but they left the room when she was fine. Moments later, and while she was in my arms, she stopped breathing suddenly.
“They whisked her away to the resus table and gave her some oxygen and luckily that was enough to bring her round. We cannot put into words how grateful we are for their swift actions. What I was astonished at was that Mags was a student, but just got on with it with no panic at all. They made a great team.”
Despite the restrictions around visiting due to Covid, Stephanie’s husband was given extra time to stay with her and Emilie.
“They took into account what had just happened and how scared we had been. They gave us a few hours to be alone with Emilie, which made such a difference. They put me, the patient, at the centre of everything they did. Lots of things came up and they just dealt with it.”
Despite the drama, Stephanie says she will look back fondly on her birth experience.
She said: “I felt it was my labour; I was in control. All along they kept me informed about how things were going and told me I could do it myself. I just felt they were on my side – it was really empowering.
Midwife Amy MacDonald said: “It was a privilege to look after Stephanie and her baby and I’m so pleased she had such a positive birth experience given the current situation. Women are capable of amazing things and as a midwife it’s our job to encourage them, so it’s so lovely to hear from Stephanie we did just that. It really is the best job in the world!”
Stephanie added: “I can’t praise the Queen Elizabeth enough. Throughout my antenatal care, induction and labour your teams of staff were simply wonderful. Every single team member I encountered bent over backwards to ensure my new baby, my husband and I had everything we could need. I hope all pregnant women take comfort knowing your team are so competent and ready to deal with anything, even in such strange times.”
ENDS