Baby named for midwives after 'remarkable' birth

Baby Lydia was named after midwife Lydia Milner

Choosing a baby's name can be a lot of pressure for new parents - but one couple from east Leeds found inspiration in the delivery room.

Raegan Thomas, 33, and Neil McCluskey, 37, said they were 90% sure their second daughter was going to be called Rosie when they went into hospital in September.

Like a lot of parents, they spent much of the pregnancy thinking up names and even used an app to help.

Ms Thomas said: "We went through about a million names and we'd had an app on the phone where you both swipe for different baby names.

"I'm a paediatric nurse and my partner's a teacher, so it's very difficult to come up with children's names because we come across a lot of children."

Raegan Thomas said she was expecting to call her baby Rosie

Ms Thomas, who also has a four-year-old daughter named Anabelle, was taken to Leeds General Infirmary because she was suffering with gestational diabetes.

She was induced on 21 September and assigned midwife Lydia Milner alongside a student midwife, also called Lydia.

"I'm sure Lydia the midwife made a comment like: 'If we do a really good job maybe you will go for Lydia instead of Rosie,'" Ms Thomas said.

The labour was difficult and became "quite dangerous" when there were concerns over the baby's heart rate, Ms Thomas said.

"That was when Lydia the midwife kicked in and had to do an intervention to push the baby back inside me to get the blood flowing in the umbilical cord again," she said.

Ms Thomas was taken to theatre for an emergency forceps delivery, where baby Lydia was born weighing 8lb (3.6kg) and healthy.

She described the midwife as "remarkable" and said she had been "really vigilant" throughout the birth.

"Being a paediatric nurse, I know that without oxygen it can end really badly with a fatal situation or profound disabilities, but baby Lydia is perfect," Ms Thomas said.

"When she was born she was a bit purple but they got her crying pretty quickly.

"I felt it wouldn't be right not to go with that name as a good luck charm."

Baby Lydia is now 12 weeks old

Midwife Lydia Milner said it was privilege to bring baby Lydia into the world.

"As midwives we are trained to be well prepared for emergencies that can happen during birth, and I'm pleased we could act quickly to ensure baby Lydia's safe arrival," she said.

"Hearing that Raegan and her family chose to name their baby after me was incredibly touching – it's something I'll never forget," she said.

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