A midwife who has worked for over two decades on the maternity ward has now cared for two generations of the same family.
Hannah Mowbray and her partner Jonothyn from Shilbottle, welcomed their third child at Alnwick's Hillcrest Maternity Unit this month.
Baby Albie was born on February 5, at 7.15am weighing 7.12lb - and was delivered by the Ward Manager Alison Jarvis, who 26 years ago looked after Hannah when she was a newborn at the same hospital.
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Since the beginning of last year, Hillcrest Unit have been rolling out their Continuity of Carer programme to new mums and babies in Berwick and Alnwick. The model aims to assign expecting mums with the same midwife dedicated to a home base, to provide continuity of care to women across the area, both low and high-risk, throughout the antenatal and postnatal period.
Alison was Hannah's assigned midwife from her first appointment, but she was also Hannah's mum Joyce's antenatal midwife when she was pregnant.
"My mum and Alison are colleagues, and they've worked together for around twenty-seven years," said Hannah. "My mum is a healthcare assistant at the midwifery unit, so I grew up surrounded by all of the midwives and have a close relationship with them.
"When I was taken into Hillcrest during my labour, it felt like I was coming home in a way, because this place has been a huge part of my childhood."
Hannah, who also has a older son Cassius, 4 and daughter Elodie, 3, who was born seven weeks premature at Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington, and had to be under intensive care after birth as she had problems with her lung development.
This meant that Hannah was classed as a 'high-risk pregnancy with Albie and therefore had to have close monitoring from Alison throughout her antenatal period.
"I was really nervous during my pregnancy with Albie because Elodie was born prematurely," said Hannah. "But Alison and the midwifery team at Hillcrest were really supportive and I was really pleased to be able to have the birth I wanted and had planned at the unit this time around.
"I felt really safe throughout my labour and delivery, because I knew I was in the best hands.
"It was really nice to be able to see the same person throughout too.
"Having Alison deliver Albie was a really emotional experience for all of us. My mum wasn't there for the birth, but she came in to meet Albie soon after he was born, and we were all in tears. It just felt a surreal experience knowing that Alison had looked after my mum during pregnancy and now she helped me to bring Albie into the world."
Alison said it was a 'privilege' to deliver Hannah's baby.
"Every single birth is special for a midwife, but to be able to be there for a family you are close with is a real privilege," she said.
"I didn't deliver Hannah myself, but I looked after Joyce when she was pregnant with her and cared for them both during the postnatal period too.
"I actually interviewed Joyce for her role at the hospital and I have helped deliver Hannah's nieces and nephews too, so it's a real family affair."
Alison said that since the launch of Bright Horizons, the feedback from mothers have been 'very positive'.
"Being able to provide continuity of care and build up close relationships with the ladies under our care is really useful," she said. "Don't get me wrong, because of the nature of our role, it isn't always possible to guarantee that the same midwife you see in your antenatal appointments will be the person delivering your baby. But when that is a option like in Hannah's case, it's very beneficial for all involved.
"I've been around the block, and I've seen all kinds of midwifery programmes come and go in my time, but Bright Horizons has made a huge difference to the women under our care and the midwives themselves. Long may it continue."
On working on the maternity ward through the Covid-19 pandemic, Alison said that 'even a global pandemic cannot dim the joy of midwifery'.
For more information on Bright Horizons visit here.
