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Good Hope Hospital midwife Elise works alongside matron who cared for her as a baby

A nurse at Good Hope's new Midwifery Led Unit has found herself working in the team alongside the matron who supported her mother through her birth.

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Elise and Maggie

Elise Robinson, 25,is now a colleague of 60-year-old Maggie Coleman, Midwifery Matron at Good Hope Hospital, who joined the NHS in 1980.

Little did Maggie know that, in 1996, she had made such an impression on one of her patients that she would encourage her daughter, whom she was pregnant with, to become a midwife too.

Mother-to-be Hilary was under close watch of the maternity team at Good Hope Hospital because it had been discovered that her baby had stopped growing and there was a reduction in amniotic fluid around the baby, making the pregnancy very high risk.

For several weeks, Hilary would meet Maggie in the antenatal clinic while she was attending regularly for appointments and scans and the pair struck up a rapport that would be remembered.

In March 1996, Elise was born safely weighing 5lb 1oz – but Hilary never forgot the care and kindness shown to her by Maggie.

She would often remind Elise of the midwife who helped ‘save her’ as she was growing up.

Elise, much to her mum's delight and pride, began training to be a midwife in 2014. After she qualified, she worked in Coventry, before landing her dream job working at Good Hope's new Midwifery Led Unit.

Elise said: “When I was offered the interview I showed my mum the letter and straight away she said ‘that’s Maggie that looked after me’.

"I couldn’t believe it! She had always talked about the midwife who had shown her such kindness and compassion but never in a million years did I think that I would one day end up meeting her.

"You could say that the stories of Maggie inspired me to think about being a midwife because I always heard such good stories about her. I am so thrilled to be part of her team now and hope that I can make as much an impact on my patients as Maggie did on my mum.”

Maggie said: “As a midwife it is always lovely to meet the mums and the babies you cared for but to meet one of those babies 25 years later and call her a colleague, is just wonderful.

"I am delighted to think that the care I gave Hilary all those years ago has stayed with her and goes to show the lasting impression our care makes.

"Elise is an excellent midwife. I am sure that she will be already be remembered for the care she has given to others.”

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