A brand new maternity theatre is transforming care for those needing caesarean sections in Gateshead - and it's already transformed the life of one Tyneside family.
On August 24, Rachel O'Brien and Kevin Sibson welcomed baby Charlie Kevin Sibson at a healthy weight of 7lb 10oz. Charlie was delivered after an elective caesarean at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital's brand new maternity theatre, under the care of consultant Dr Mie Liew.
Mum Rachel was full of praise for the new facilities. She said: "The experience was wonderful; I couldn’t fault any of the staff who helped deliver Charlie. They all made me feel calm and relaxed through the whole surgery.
"Being the first person to give birth in the theatre was amazing, it was extremely clean and spacious and the whole experience was enjoyable."
Rachel said her previous birth had been an emergency caesarean, and that by comparison Charlie's birth had been "much calmer". She added: "I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Thank you to all of the staff who helped deliver Charlie and for the care we received."
Dr Liew said it had been an honour to be part of the birth, adding: "It was a pleasure to be the consultant who delivered baby Charlie and to be the first one to use the brand-new theatre unit. This will make such a difference to patient experience and the care we can provide for elective caesareans.
"The whole team has worked extremely hard to get to this point and I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds for maternity.”
The new theatre was unveiled last month and medics in Gateshead are hopeful it will help to increase the hospital's capacity to carry out caesarean sections and also make maternity safer for mothers and babies.
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