A MIDWIFE had an emotional end to 37 years of delivering babies when she helped a familiar face through a home birth day.
Linda Hedley, who has been a midwife since 1975 and at Berwick in Northumberland since 1991, delivered the baby of town cafe owner Lizzie Bell – who she knew from her previous births – on her final day before retirement.
The women had an emotional reunion yesterday and spoke of their joy at the perfect ending to the midwife’s career.
Linda, 62, joined the NHS 44 years ago, initially as a nurse cadet in 1968 before undergoing general training a year later.
She began her midwifery training in 1975 and started work in Suffolk before moving to Borders General Hospital from 1988.
In 1991, Linda was appointed midwifery manager and supervisor of midwives at Berwick Infirmary’s maternity unit. Following reorganisation, she also ran the baby unit at Alnwick Infirmary from 2005-6 before more changes saw her become senior midwife for Berwick only again.
Linda could have retired at 55 or 60, but chose to stay on. She went part time last year – before the temporary suspension of births at the unit following a drop in number of babies being born and cited safety incidents.
She retired on February 27, a date which would be given extra significance by Lizzie, whose third baby she had delivered, in addition to being present at the arrival of her fourth and helping her with antenatal care for all four.
Lizzie, who runs The Corner House cafe on Church Street, was overdue with her fifth child and had chosen a home birth.
Linda was on call for over a week for the delivery, knowing the new arrival might not come until after her retirement.
But on her last day as a midwife, she got the call at 2am. Linda and a colleague went to Lizzie’s Ravensdowne home where they agreed that the retiree would take the lead. She delivered Douglas Bell, who weighed in at 8lb 6oz, at 8.20am.
Linda, who lives at Reston in Berwickshire and who delivered hundreds of babies over her career, said: “It was impeccable, I could not have chosen anything better, it was absolutely wonderful to go out on a high and know you were still capable of doing a job you enjoy doing.
“It was brilliant, it was absolutely superb. To do it on my last day after 40 years, it was just ironic and it was meant to be. To me it was my last delivery. He will always be very special in my heart.”
