As she walks through the Mackay Base Hospital Women’s Health Unit, Abigail Bradbury is overcome with emotion.
It was 15 years ago that she gave birth to her second daughter, Lillie, here on the Labour Ward while on holidays from the United Kingdom.
The care she received from the midwives made such an impact that it set her on a lifechanging course.
“After giving birth to Lillie I went back to the UK and the experience I had at the Mackay Base Hospital with the midwives was so phenomenal I thought that’s it I am going to have a career change,” she said.
“The support, the love and the breastfeeding help I received was such beautiful, holistic care that I decided I wanted to become a midwife and I wanted to work at Mackay Base Hospital. So that became my five-year goal.”
Abigail was working as a social worker at the time and after returning home she had to study for five years to get her degree in midwifery.
After gaining experience as a midwife in the UK, Abigail packed up her family to move to the other side of the world getting one step closer to fulfilling her dream.
When returning to the place that started it all with her daughter, Abigail is overcome with emotion.
“From the moment I came into hospital, through all the labour care and going through to the postnatal ward I remember having all the midwives sitting with me for hours,” she said.
“Just having somebody that you felt could give you the time and just sit and be with you, even though they had 100 things to do, was amazing.
“A lot of the care I received here I have taken away as a midwife and incorporate it back into my practise. Many of the ladies I care for comment they feel well looked after. It has had a massive impact on the care I give.
“I could see what the benefits were when I received the care and I now pass that onto other women.”
Throughout this journey Lillie has watched her mum work hard to realise her dream and now has her own goal of working as a paediatric nurse. Due to her partner’s job, Abigail and her family live in Brisbane where she is working as a casual midwife. But she still holds onto her dream of one day working at the Mackay Base Hospital.
