THE health trust that runs Furness General Hospital has revealed that midwives helped to welcome nearly 3,000 babies during the pandemic, as their work was praised.

The University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) is celebrating International Day of the Midwife by paying tribute to their 'awe-inspiring' dedication.

While many health and care services were postponed in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus, midwives have ensured that mums and families continue to receive safe and high quality care throughout the pandemic.

Tamsin Cripps, the head of midwifery at the trust, said: “I can’t even begin to express my gratitude and respect for all of our fantastic midwives across Morecambe Bay.

“It has been an incredibly tough year for all of us, and our teams have worked really hard to keep maternity services running despite the difficult circumstances.

“While we’ve had to make lots of changes to how we provide maternity services during the pandemic, the dedication and enthusiasm shown by our midwives has remained as strong as ever, and is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

“I want to send a huge thank you and well done to all of our amazing midwives.”

In the year since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, midwives across UHMBT helped to welcome 2755 babies into the world and cared for countless families.

Midwives were forced to quickly adapt to new ways of working such as following strict social distancing and hand hygiene rules, as well as wearing additional personal protective equipment during clinics, appointments and births.

The trust has released a video telling families what to expect giving birth during the pandemic.

International Midwives Day has been celebrated on May 5 every year since 1992.

The 2021 theme is “Follow the Data: Invest in Midwives” and coincides with this year's State of the World's Midwifery report.