Since NHS Grampian launched the DAISY Award for nurses and
midwives in May last year, more than 800 nominations have been received in
recognition of exceptional care. Eight of them were for Peterhead midwife
Natalie Latham, who has received the highest number of nominations for any one
staff member and who thinks the love she has for her job comes across to the
women in her care.
As well as being a midwife, Natalie, who lives in Ellon, is mum to
five children (aged 25, 23, 20, 11 and 7) and recently became a granny to
Scarlet. Baby Scarlet was born in the pool at Peterhead Community Maternity
Unit with her granny on hand to help her mum Sasha.
Natalie couldn’t imagine doing anything else for a job and
explains: “The best thing about my job is the relationship you build with
women. I have a caseload of women that I see from the day they book with a
midwife right through to around day 10 postnatally.
“When I received the DAISY awards I just felt so grateful that
women had taken the time to write in and nominate me, especially given most
have maybe not long had a baby. It's just so special and I genuinely appreciate
each and every one.”
Natalie has made her career work around being a busy mum. She
originally trained in accounting and retrained after having three children,
qualifying in 2009. Originally from Leicester, Natalie’s family moved first to
Elgin and then Ellon when she was 10 for a new job in the RAF.
“Between being a mum, now a granny and a midwife I don’t have that
much time to myself but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I really enjoy that
at Peterhead Community Maternity Unit we do a little of everything. I could be
in the unit for antenatal clinics, antenatal classes, labour and birth or doing
postnatal visits in the home. Every day can be different and I feel really
lucky to be able to support the local community.”
Find out more about Peterhead Community Maternity Unit on their
Facebook page.