Kentish Express Ashford & District
Bike ride students raising funds for maternity suite
A group of student midwives will be cycling 13 miles around Ashford to raise money for a maternity bereavement suite at William Harvey Hospital.
Sarah Owen, Tanya Saunders, Louise Gogarty, Candice Carleton, Lucy Dowle, Stacey Parker and Sami Joyce are set to take on the challenge on Sunday.
The Canterbury Christ Church University students will leave the hospital at 10am, before weaving around Ashford, cycling to Aldington and returning to the hospital.
Stacey, 30, joked: “Given that some of us have not been on a bike since school, 13 miles is enough.”
The women have finished their first year of training and many of them have experienced new parent bereavement in practice.
Stacey said: “I think you learn how to cope with it but I don’t think something like that will ever get any easier. Qualified midwives have said the same.
“We care about the women we care for and want to be able to make a difference to them when they really need it.”
The mum-of-five said her own experiences of childbirth made this a particularly personal experience.
She said: “One of my children was given a 2% chance of survival before he was born and I was told I could hold him while he passed away in my arms.
“As I was waiting to give birth to a baby I was told wouldn’t survive, I was watching all these new mums with their newborns and it was heartbreaking thinking I wouldn’t get that.
“Because of what I went through, I understand that being in the ward with new mothers is really hard and I can’t even begin to understand how the mums who lose their babies must feel. If we can make that the slightest bit easier for them in any way we will.
“The William Harvey is going to build a separate room for mums away from the ward.
“New parents will be able to spend time with their babies, make memories or take photos.” Go to justgiving.com/ fundraising/S15-stmidwives