A Portishead mother who has given birth to twins is raising funds to aid NHS frontline staff in the fight against coronavirus.
Mother-of-three Katy Thomas has written and shared a poem in support of midwives at Southmead Hospital in Bristol who helped deliver her twin boys, Evan and Elis, in April.
Katy is thankful staff took ‘great care’ of the trio after they spent the week at the Transitional Care Ward, and has since raised more than £200 for the charity, a federation of more than 250 organisations that support the NHS in the UK.
Katy, who says hospitals are where the ‘true heroes’ of the pandemic can be found, published the poem in the hopes that when the twins grow and ask about the pandemic, ‘it is stories like these I hope they will read’.
She said: “I’m really touched by the kind messages and responses to the poem.
“I posted it on a twin support group, and lots of expectant mums have contacted me to say they found it very reassuring during this time of uncertainty.
“I’ve never written a poem before, but, during a long night feed, it helped me to make sense of everything that happened and draw out the positives from what was a challenging time.
“Parts of the birth were quite traumatic and left me with a few short-term complications, but, despite everything that happened, I really did feel we were in good hands.
“It felt more important than ever to thank the staff at Southmead for taking such good care of us, and some of them have been in contact to say it was well received.
“We’re home now, the babies are doing well, and we are grateful for the time and space to bond as a family of five.
“We are looking forward to introducing our new additions to friends and family once lockdown restrictions are eased.”
Katy and her husband Richard and daughter Rosa have enjoyed virtual meet-ups with family, friends and neighbours, as well as greetings through the windows of their home to meet the family’s new arrivals.
The visitors have kept the family’s spirits high, she said, and have even left food such as lasagne, as well as baby clothes, on their doorstep.
To read the poem and donate to the cause, visit www.facebook.com/223305568/posts/10101463589224494/?d=n
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