One of the first mothers to give birth at home using a new maternity service has praised the midwives who supported her.
Diane Jeacock gave birth to her son, William, at her home near King’s Lynn, thanks to the Midwife Led Pathway, which was launched by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
The pathway allows women to give birth either at home or in the midwife-led Waterlily Birth Centre, with a team of 43 midwives available to offer support for women in West Norfolk and Fenland.
Mrs Jeacock said: “It meant a lot to be able to give birth in our home. The midwives were kind, caring and professional. They fitted in with what we wanted to happen, which made a big difference.
“As I was more relaxed, so was my husband and from the moment he was born William has been a contented baby.”
Mrs Jeacock had opted for a less clinical approach to the birth of her second child after delivering the couple’s daughter Harriet, aged three, in hospital.
She said: “As I am fit and healthy, I didn’t feel the need to be in hospital. For me it was important for the birth to be in my own environment which put me at ease and led to a straight forward delivery.”
Mrs Jeacock went into labour on the evening of January 28 and made contact with midwife Lisa Barham at around 8pm.
She said: “Lisa came out to check me over, and she immediately put me at ease.
“She was positive and encouraging. The important thing was for me to be relaxed at home and able to have a bath and rest as much as possible.”
An examination at around 5am showed things were starting to progress and Mrs Jeacock made the decision to give birth in her bedroom.
“The midwives were outstanding, and I felt very spoilt to be cared by them,” she said.
“The midwives did laugh as I was so excited that I was finally going to meet my son. I was elated that it happened at home.”
After William was born, Mrs Jeacock and husband, Simon, relaxed and enjoyed a cuddle with their new son while the midwives cleared up.
Mrs Jeacock said: “I would definitely recommend this service to anyone who is interested as this is a first class service and encourage other expecting mums to consider if this could work for them to discuss with their community midwife.”
Emma Hardwick, director of nursing at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said: “The Midwife Led Pathway has been a long term vision of the Trust and we are excited to be able to offer this service to women in Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk.
“Supporting women in their choice of place of birth is very important because we know that having a positive birth experience has the long term benefits for the health of the women and her family.
“Mrs Jeacock’s story shows that we have achieved our aim of placing an emphasis on the woman and her needs while continuing to provide high quality and safe care.
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