It was a case of history repeating this week at North Eastern Community Hospital where a new mum has had her baby girl delivered by the same obstetrician who delivered her 22 years ago.
Three months after he commenced work as a specialist obstetrician in 1997, Dr Chris Hughes delivered a baby girl named Maddi.
On Wednesday Maddi returned to North Eastern’s maternity ward, this time as an expectant mum, with the family once again in the safe hands of Dr Hughes.
New mum Maddi loved the idea of having a special connection with her obstetrician that she wouldn’t be able to have with any other doctor.
“I thought it would be nice to have a kind of inter-generational birth,” says Maddi.
“And Dr Hughes is a really nice person. It was just a great opportunity so I thought ‘why wouldn’t you?’”
Maddi was about the tenth baby Dr Hughes delivered as a specialist obstetrician, and he’s delivered about another 5000 since that time.
Dr Hughes says it was really nice to be involved in this slightly quirky family story.
“I think it speaks of the value and benefits of having a strong community and having a hospital based so centrally and of such a high standard that families have the confidence to come back generation after generation.”
As for whether Dr Hughes will be around to potentially deliver a child for Zara one day, he isn’t so sure.
“I might be around to visit them in hospital but I hope I’m retired by then!”
