(Jodie and Izzy, 2024)

“We met Sophie only hours away from delivery, as she swapped with the midwives who had been with us for most of the day. We were apprehensive about feeling ‘comfortable’ with someone new having familiarised ourselves with Y**** and T**** all day (who were great!). However, this feeling of uncertainty very quickly left us. Sophie made me feel so comfortable, so at ease, so heard and empowered to deliver my baby. Not only is she unequivocally outstanding at her job, she is the perfect mix of being your midwife, but also your friend. It was only the night after that she was on Freya Ward and both myself and partner were struggling having only had three hours sleep across three nights at this point. Sophie very kindly offered to look after our daughter for a couple hours whilst we slept and although we were reluctant at first (first time mum worries), we asked for Sophie’s help later on and I genuinely know that I would never have asked anybody else. For me, that speaks volumes for how I felt towards Sophie. I trusted her to solely look after my child who was only hours old, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I trusted her implicitly. Having had some negative experiences during my time in hospital, Sophie single-handedly counteracted those. From the bottom of my heart, I don’t know how I would’ve given birth to my daughter without Sophie and I will forever sing her praises. She is beyond incredible and I hope she gets as much recognition as she rightfully deserves. Thank you, Sophie, for simply being you!”