Our volume was turned all the way up when listening to one of our #RealMidwivesofWalsall promoting an important service on the radio.
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust’s Specialist Bereavement Midwife Laura Atkinson made us all #WalsallAndProud as she shared her story with BBC Radio WM.
Laura provides sensitive, holistic care to parents and their families following a baby death either during pregnancy or soon after the baby has been born.
She explained: “I have been a qualified midwife for 10 years now and have been in my specialist role for five of those years. It is a difficult job that requires a lot of training but it is very rewarding at the same time.”
When asked about the role in general the 31-year-old said:
“Midwifery practice is vast. Bringing new life into the world is amazing. Working in any form of maternity whether that be in an antenatal, delivery, postnatal, neonatal or gynaecological setting, you never know what waits behind those doors. As well as all the practical elements, paperwork is also a massive side as we have to evidence all that we do to ensure the best care is given to women.”
When asked why she chose her speciality Laura said:
“I was in my third year of my midwifery training where I worked alongside my mentor with a couple who lost their baby. I felt really passionate about helping them and it felt very rewarding to do.
“As midwives we have two lives in our hands. There is no crystal ball where we can predict what will happen which is why we have lots of mandatory training in case of emergencies. Shifts are very faced paced and emotionally it can be hard as you don’t really have time to grieve so my role also helps with staff who experience this loss and their mental health too.”
She added: “We have lots of charities who support us – one of them being our Trust charity Well Wishers. Bereavement Services are dependent on the support from charities; every penny makes a difference and enables us to provide a calm environment with amenities for parents and their families to spend time with their baby or babies following their death so a huge thank you to everyone that has supported us.”
If you would like to hear Laura’s interview on the radio click here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0bf75jy