Joy for Wishaw General Hospital Midwife Maureen McSherry wins Scotland’s Emma’s Diary Mums Midwife of the Year 2019
on 06 February 2019 RCM Annual Midwifery Awards Emma's Diary Multiple Birth Home Birth
Nominated by local mum Laura Abbott, Maureen McSherry has been honoured as Emma’s Diary Mums’ Midwife of the Year 2019 for the Scottish 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.
Laura first met Maureen when she was pregnant with her second child. After suffering a traumatic hospital birth with her first, she was fearful of a repeat experience but with Maureen’s support she was able to have the dream home birth she’d always hoped for. It was only when Laura went to the doctors to have a coil fitted that she found out she was pregnant again, with twins! Still fearful of hospitals and desperate for a home birth again, Laura went back to Maureen, her ‘wonder lady’ as she calls her, to ask to remain with the community team and have her twin pregnancy treated like any other.
Laura was told that once her pregnancy reached 37 weeks a home birth would be an option (once the risks of a pre-term birth had passed). With her history of long pregnancies, she was positive, and 37 weeks came and went. So, with everything in place, birthing pool ready and the team on call, she was all prepared. However, it wasn’t until an incredible 42+2weeks that Laura met her two beautiful twin girls. Maureen and her team, having carried out regular anti natal checks and having no cause for concern, delivered the twins at home in what was probably one of the longest twin pregnancies, and certainly home births, in the country!
The babies were delivered without complication and with Laura following her hypnobirthing techniques. However, the severe after pains combined with a lack of sleep, food and blood loss, caused Laura to faint shortly after the birth. A quick trip to the hospital for a check over and some rest was all that was required, and Laura was home by the end of the day.
Laura Abbott, who nominated Maureen for the award, explains: “Maureen is truly the cream of the crop, she orchestrated a fantastic team who truly believe in women’s ability to birth, who are working hard to change the tide of highly medicalised births. Maureen and her dream team believed in me and my babies from the very start and quietly supported us along the way. She is just magical, and I will sing her praises to all who will listen! Staying positive when you’re 42 weeks pregnant with twins and desperate for a home birth is not easy, but Maureen was my utter rock, never failing to hold me emotionally on those moments I faltered. It just goes to show what patient centred, evidence-based care can achieve.”
On winning the award Maureen McSherry, consultant midwife for NHS Lanarkshire adds: “I feel humbled that someone has felt I listened to what was important to them, which resulted in a memorable birth for all the right reasons. Support to women throughout their pregnancy and birth is a key role of a consultant midwife, but also to support my midwifery colleagues to feel confident in providing such a wonderful service to women too, especially when the request involved care to a woman requesting a home pool birth of twins!! It was a privilege and an honour to witness and support Laura birth her babies with such confidence and a wonderful experience that I will never forget.”
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. Maureen will join the six other regional winners at a celebratory awards ceremony in London, where Maureen 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 Maureen, who is so deserving of this extra recognition.”
Gill Walton, Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, says: “This is a heart-warming story and a wonderful outcome for Laura and her twin babies. Maureen worked with her colleagues to support Laura to have the birth she wanted, highlighting the importance of personalised care. I am delighted that Laura had such a great experience, and one that was right for her, and that Maureen’s care and dedication are being recognised.”
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 our Alliance Partners section.
For more information on the Royal College of Midwives visit the website at https://www.rcm.org.uk/.