Sweet remedy to childbirth wounds creates a buzz

Specialist midwife Sarah Cridland has celebrated sweet success with the honey

Midwives have been left buzzing after they found using honey was helping mothers to recover after childbirth.

Women at Southend Hospital were among the first in the UK to have their perineal tears treated with the sweet solution.

Six months after birth, the patients' wounds were found to have healed better and had less chance of reopening.

Specialist midwife Sarah Cridland said the medical-grade manuka honey was "a proactive way to help mums recover naturally".

More than half of the women had not needed to return to hospital, according to the Mid & South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.

"We are seeing faster healing, fewer infections, fewer women coming back with problems and much happier mums," added Ms Cridland.

Andrea Gooch used the honey after giving birth to baby Austin

A perineal tear is a wound that can occur between the vagina and anus during childbirth.

Bonita Wright, from Rayleigh, was among the patients who used honey for healing after a previous birth left her "in severe pain".

"Using the manuka honey has changed all that and it has been a completely different experience," she said.

Following the trial's success, the trust has been considering rolling it out across its other NHS sites in Essex.

Andrea Gooch, from Hockley, was another mother to have used the honey.

She added: "Although at first it was a surprise to be given it, I was really positive about anything I could do to reduce my chance of infection.

"Knowing I didn't have one was a huge boost psychologically."