Stroud family’s special Christmas present
A Stroud family received a special surprise this year when their healthy baby boy was born on Christmas Day at Stroud Maternity Unit.
Kim Creus, from Brimscombe, gave birth to her second child in the Willow Room on Sunday having taken the short trip from home to the midwife-led unit. The healthy baby boy, weighing in at 7lb 8oz, was born at 7:52pm. The family are carefully considering names. Dad Edward and first son Jasper, aged 2, are also doing well.
Kim said: “My contractions started quite early on Christmas morning and I went about the day as best I could while monitoring the situation.
“Given the circumstances we were always planning on having a quiet day. We managed to get out for a bike ride and enjoyed some chicken pie for lunch befire the contractions moved on.
“When I arrived at the unit, Isobel, the midwife, put me at such ease. It really is a beautiful environment to give birth. I was so relaxed - I had the baby within 1 hour and 16 mins. I can’t speak highly enough of the facility or the staff. They do such an incredible job and in such a caring manner. I’d like to sincerely thank them for making my birth so special.”
"It really is a beautiful environment to give birth. I was so relaxed"
Kim
Alex Lloyd, lead midwife at Stroud, added: “It’s always difficult to predict with any certainty when a baby will be born although when it is on Christmas Day it does make for an extraordinary feeling. It’s a time of hope and renewed optimism and I’d like to congratulate Kim and the family on their new baby boy.”
There continues to be some misunderstanding and confusion over service provision at Stroud Maternity Unit and community births following the temporary closure of six postnatal beds. The team of midwives would like to clarify provision for women:
- Birthing unit with access to birthing pools and ensuite rooms
- Postnatal care for those families in Stroud continues to be available in the first 6/12 hours post birth in Stroud birthing rooms after which families are discharge home. If a mother or baby born at Stroud needs postnatal care that requires on-going in hospital monitoring, this will be accommodated on our Maternity Ward at GRH
- The community midwifery service in Stroud remains unchanged. Women are offered home visits or the opportunity to attend a postnatal clinic run by midwives in the postnatal period
- Breastfeeding parent support at the Unit.