News

It’s not often that we learn a colleague was at our birth. But that’s what happened to a colleague at Kettering General Hospital.

Heidi is a sister in Rockingham wing outpatient’s department and Emily is a midwife at Kettering General Hospital. They both recently learned that it was Heidi who delivered Emily 24 years ago.

In December 2000, third year student midwife, Heidi, delivered a baby girl named Emily. Now, 24 years later Emily is practising as a registered midwife at Kettering General Hospital.

While in her 20s Heidi was looking for a change in career. “I’d recently had my first child and was inspired to become a midwife. I’d been out of education for a while but took the leap to go back to university to become a midwife.”

Heidi signed up for the midwifery programme at the University College Northampton (now the University of Northampton) beginning her student career in the maternity department of Kettering General Hospital.

Nearly a quarter of a century later Kettering General Hospital midwife Emily requested access to her maternity records. Maternity records must be kept for 25 years after the birth of the child.

“As a midwife I was curious about what my notes said, and I knew the time was running out to look at my own records.” said Emily.

“Once I received them, I saw Heidi’s name as the midwife who’d delivered me”

Asking colleagues about Heidi, Emily realised that Heidi was still at our hospital and went to find her.

Heidi explains “As a third-year student midwife we were able to deliver babies with the support of a qualified colleague and I was thrilled to meet Emily, who I had last seen as a newborn baby."

After 24 years working in midwifery, would Heidi recommend midwifery as a career.

“Absolutely! It’s hard work but really rewarding and a huge honour that families allow us to be part of their birthing journey.”

Emily often works on delivery suite and is potentially delivering the future generation of new midwives.