Our first child Ellie went 9 days over the due date, so Xiaoya was induced mid-morning on the 29th October 2014. Although the labour was too pro-longed she did suffer a 3rd degree tear which meant she was whisked away quite quickly after the birth for surgery. Her recovery went well and we found all the midwives on the Maternity Suite so helpful, especially as she was unable to be on her feet for around 24 hours.
Although we always planned to have a second child we weren’t expecting to be pregnant with William within 3 months of Ellie arriving! Being such a short gap and the circumstances with the first child we were advised to opt for a planned c section. It was quite a different feeling knowing the exact date when the baby would arrive. Luckily we were told after William was delivered that he was breach and that if we had gone in for a natural birth they would have had to deliver by c section anyway.
After going back to the ward, again Xiaoya was unable to get out of bed. However, the midwife who helped her through the first night was so hardworking, and made the best toast ever. Not only did she make Xiaoya feel so comfortable but was tirelessly looking after so many other mothers. Towards the end of her shift we were able to thank her and she shared that she was herself 6-7 months pregnant, we were so touched by her hard work.
Our donation of £9,922.29 was to show our appreciation and we hope it can help other families at the Women’s. We’re glad we were able to help, we hope we can do it year after year in the future.
We have used our children's dates of birth to donate because these numbers mean a lot to us, and also remind us of the time when we were in the hospital. We will share our story with our children when they are a bit older, and hope they will understand, and maybe also come to appreciate the Women’s one day.
Princess Diana said: 'Family is the most important thing in the world.' Children are our future. I appreciated all the help form Liverpool Women's Hospital, all the staff been highly professional and friendly.
