Midwife gives birth at Ashcombe Birth Centre

Kim Ashwell and her husband, Nigel, welcomed a healthy baby boy, Jamie, on Tuesday 17 June. Jamie was born at 2:44am weighing 6lb 13oz. Kim, who lives in Highbridge, has been working as a midwife at the Hospital for over three years and has helped to deliver hundreds of babies over the years.

"It was an amazing experience to have Jamie here, knowing that we were in excellent hands” said Kim. “To have my colleagues helping me give birth was very special for me. I’ve helped so many women give birth here and to have my own baby here is such a wonderful experience. I’d like to thank my colleagues for making this experience so special and for their professionalism and care.”

Belinda Cox, Matron for Maternity Services, said: “We were delighted to hear that Kim was choosing to give birth at Ashcombe Birth Centre.  It’s a huge compliment to the service that one of our own chose to have her baby here.

“The Birthplace Study from 2011 confirmed that free standing midwife led units like Ashcombe Birth Centre are a safe place for women with uncomplicated pregnancies to give birth. We couldn’t have asked for a safer journey than Kim had when she gave birth to Jamie. She was amazing!”

In February this year, Ashcombe was given the global recognition of a Baby Friendly UNICEF Award, recognising it as a centre of excellence in encouraging breast-feeding, supporting safe bottle feeding and strengthening mother-baby and family relationships.