“Congratulations” to local mother on national TV
It has been a busy week for Annika Maiero, 33, from
Sydenham: after having her first child, Enzo, at the birth centre of University Hospital
Lewisham, she found herself on national TV, appearing on the BBC
One Show being congratulated by Chris Evans and Cliff
Richard
Annika said: “It has been an incredible couple of
days. First all, it was so exciting to have my first child,
and the birth centre was excellent. I chose to come to the
birth centre as it is a really comfortable, home-like environment,
and mothers are supported to have a natural birth. I arrived
at 6.00pm, and had given birth by 6.25pm! It was a water
birth, and all the midwives were really excellent – I knew there
was help on hand if I needed it. I would definitely recommend
that other mothers choose Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust when
deciding where to give birth.
The One Show
After giving birth, Annika and her husband
Paolo were able to show off Enzo on BBC’s the ‘One Show’. To
mark Cliff Richard appearing on the show on Friday 1 July, the
Birth Centre’s midwives sung one of Cliff’s biggest hits,
‘Congratulations’, to the happy family, and Annika then asked Cliff
Richard a question. Speaking about the experience, Annika
said:
“I certainly didn’t expect to be on the One
Show the next day! It was lovely of all the midwives to sing
‘Congratulations’ to me, and then I asked a question for Cliff
Richard on what the best present he had received was. Enzo is
only one day old but is already a national TV star!”
Annika’s husband, Paolo, 38, added: “The
Birth Centre was incredible, and I would recommend it to other
people. We weren’t sure what to call our son until he was
born, but the minute he was we decided that Enzo was the perfect
name. I am from Italy originally, so am pleased to give him
an Italian name. We are so excited, and appearing on the One
Show is the icing on the cake!”
Birth Centre
The birth centre
opened at University Hospital Lewisham in May 2011, as part of a
range of improvements being made to maternity services. It
has delivered over 800 babies since opening.
Local mothers interested in finding
out more about the Birth Centre can call Lynn Bayes, the Birth
Centre Manager, on 020 8333 3000 (Ext 8537) email
LH.BirthCentre@nhs.net,
or visit the maternity services section
of the website.