Katie Bulmer-Cooke: An early Christmas present we won't forget

In our house we got an early Christmas present this week as our baby decided to make an early appearance – one week and one day earlier than expected.

He was due to join the family on Christmas Day but clearly didn’t want to miss out on the action and wanted to make sure he bagged himself a pressie from Santa.

I wanted to dedicate this edition of my column to all of the wonderful staff on the Maternity Unit at Sunderland Hospital.

There aren’t any words that I could write that can ever really do justice to how thankful I am for everything they have done for me during my pregnancy and in helping bring baby Bobby into the world, but I wanted to try.

My pregnancy wasn’t always a straightforward one and at times I felt like I had a season ticket at the hospital, but at every single visit, every midwife I met was kind, caring and always did what they could to help me.

Being a midwife can not be an easy job, from dealing with stressful situations to helping keep things calm, they are in a role of great responsibility and trust.

Despite all of that pressure they are under, every single one I met was super calm and never panicked…even when I did!

Giving birth is an ordeal to say the least, but if it wasn’t for midwifes like the brilliant ones we are so lucky to have in Sunderland Hospital, I’m sure it would be a whole lot worse.

A lovely lady called Rachel delivered Bobby, along with an amazing student from Northumbria University, who was only in her first year but already possessed all of the caring qualities needed to be fantastic in the role.

As we are now just one day away from Christmas, I also want to take the opportunity to wish everyone who reads my weekly column a very, very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year.

Whether you’re having a quite festive break or have a hectic schedule of parties planned over the holidays, I hope you have an awesome time, filled with laughter and love.