Joy for Amman Valley Hospital Midwife Emma Thomas wins Wales Emma’s Diary Mums Midwife of the Year 2019
on 06 February 2019 RCM Annual Midwifery Awards Emma's Diary Multiple Birth
Nominated by local mum Emma Rees, Emma Thomas has been honoured as Emma’s Diary Mums’ Midwife of the Year 2019 for the Welsh region. The prestigious award is one of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Annual Midwifery Awards, recognising the incredible work done by exceptional midwives across the country.
Midwives play such a critical role in so many mums’ lives and the Emma’s Diary Mums’ Midwife of the Year Award enables them to pay a heartfelt tribute to their own special midwife who truly surpassed what was expected of them.
After nine years of infertility, seven rounds of IVF and losing four babies, Emma suffered with intense symptoms of anxiety and stress. When Emma discovered she was pregnant with twins after her final round of IVF, reassurance and positivity were vital to ensure a successful pregnancy and birth. Fortunately, her midwife, Emma Thomas, had the perfect combination of compassion, professionalism and knowledge to support Emma through this very important and difficult pregnancy. Emma needed support once more, when she was admitted to hospital early as her sodium levels dropped dramatically and required constant medical attention. After seven days of consultant led care, Emma finally gave birth by C-Section to two beautiful babies, Ollie and Sophie, now eight months old.
Emma Rees, who nominated Emma Thomas for the award, explains: “After struggling for so many years, the happiness of being pregnant with the twins was over-shadowed with the worry that I could lose another baby. I suffered with anxiety attacks weekly, but Emma was always able to calm me, reassure me and give me advice. Emma’s positivity and sound medical advice got me through my toughest days. Emma’s commitment to myself and my babies during my entire pregnancy and birth was relentless. Emma continued to care for us all after the birth, helping me to breastfeed and bond with the twins to allow me to enjoy every moment of finally being a Mum. I could never have got through the pregnancy or birth without her and she feels like she is part of our family. Emma is one in a million.”
On winning the award Emma Thomas, who works for Hywel Dda Health Board adds: “What an absolute honour to have won this award. To say that I'm touched to have been nominated is an understatement! Hearing the news that I'd won brought me to tears, I was so shocked, it was so unexpected, it was a wonderful surprise. Emma is one special lady, she's been through such a difficult emotional and physical time over the last nine years. Her sheer determination and strength means that she is now a proud mum to her beautiful twins.
“To have played a small part in her long journey is such a privilege and knowing I was able to help her along the way has meant we truly have a special and unique relationship. Being a midwife is about being with women, I am so glad I was able to be there for Emma.”
Emma’s Diary, the UK’s essential support resource for mums to be and new parents, received a record 953 nominations from mums across the UK. All entries were put through a meticulous judging process by a panel of representatives from both Emma’s Diary and the RCM, culminating in seven regional winners.
The RCM’s Annual Awards, now in its 17th year, will be hosted for the first time by popular TV presenter Alex Jones on 5th March 2019. Mum of one, Alex, best known for hosting The One Show, is currently pregnant with her second child. Emma will join the six other regional winners at a celebratory awards ceremony in London, where Emma will receive her trophy and find out who is crowned the coveted national winner.
Faye Mingo, Emma’s Diary’s Chief Marketing Officer, comments: “This is now the fourth consecutive year that we have sponsored this award and the compassion and dedication demonstrated by these midwives continues to blow us away. We have yet again been overwhelmed with entries from mums nominating their extraordinary midwife for the pivotal role they played in their pregnancy and birth journey. Reading their stories is a truly humbling experience and we are so delighted for Emma, who is so deserving of this extra recognition.”
Gill Walton, Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, says: “This is such a wonderful story of a midwife focusing on the needs of the woman and working incredibly hard to ensure these needs were met. The encouragement, reassurance and continuity of care shown, clearly helped Emma to manage anxiety during her pregnancy and I would like to congratulate midwife Emma on this rightly deserved recognition. I am so pleased she was able to help Emma so positively through this pregnancy and birth to bring Ollie and Sophie into the world and to continue to support her family postnatally.”
Notes to Editors:
Emma’s Diary Mums’ Midwife of the Year Award – the judging process
Nominations were triple reviewed and a strict scoring system was applied to whittle down the entries to a shortlist of 6-8 per region, before the overall regional winner was announced. Attributes including aiding the strengthening of the bond between mother and baby, support for their emotional care and best practice in helping the mother feel involved and in control were all carefully assessed. In total seven regional winners were awarded from the regions London, South, Midlands & East England, North of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Emma’s Diary
Emma’s Diary is the UK’s essential support resource for mums to be and new parents. Offering advice and support on pregnancy and early post-natal information, via responsible and reliable content that is verified by our very own Healthcare Team (made up of GPs and Midwives) and supported by the RCM.
Emma’s Diary is an Alliance Partner of the RCM, continually working together to provide information and understanding to improve the health and wellbeing of expectant mothers and new families.
Emma’s Diary supports every stage of the journey towards parenthood and beyond by making useful recommendations that match the ongoing needs of all new mums, helping to make the experience of motherhood a positive and reassuring one while offering peace of mind that any information given is medically verified.
Members of Emma’s Diary Parenting Club will also benefit from pregnancy and labour guides, great offers, discounts and free gift packs full of relevant samples to support their pregnancy and post-natal journey.
For more information visit www.emmasdiary.co.uk or contact Emma’s Diary on 01628 522776 or emma@emmasdiary.co.uk.
The Royal College of Midwives
The RCM is the only professional organisation and trade union dedicated to serving midwifery and the whole midwifery team. We provide workplace advice and support, professional and clinical guidance and information, and learning opportunities with our broad range of events, conferences and online resources.
The Alliance partnership scheme develops relations with like-minded organisations who share similar values and goals. The partnership enables the Royal College of Midwives to promote our work and commitment to maternity professionals.
RCM Alliance Partners
Partners in the Alliance programme work hard to advance the interests of midwives and the midwifery profession. Shared ethics and ideas combine in dedicated support of midwives and all those touched by their care and the Alliance strives to enhance the wellbeing of women, babies and their families. For more information see Alliance Partners section.
For more information visit the RCM website at https://www.rcm.org.uk/.