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Families welcome the best gift ever as Christmas babies are born

Posted: 27 December 2023

Pictures of four babaies
Pictured clockwise from top left – baby boy Follett, baby boy Goodhew with parents, baby boy Zangor and baby girl Kaur.

11 families in west Hertfordshire were filled with joy this Christmas as they celebrated the arrival of their festive babies.

The midwifery team at Watford General Hospital had a busy Christmas period supporting the arrival of eight babies on Christmas Day and three babies on Boxing Day.

Mitra Bakhtiari, director of midwifery, was joined by two of the trust’s non-executive directors (NEDs) Heather Moulder and Harvey Griffiths on Christmas Day. They visited families on Watford General’s maternity wards, speaking with staff and patients while presenting families with Christmas gifts.

Baby boy Follett, whose family are from Watford, was the first Christmas Day baby to arrive, born at 2.29am and weighing 2950g. Mitra, Heather and Harvey spoke to mum Raphaelle about her stay and experience.

Pictured below from left to right is NED Harvey Griffiths, director of midwifery Mitra Bakhtiari, NED Heather Moulder, mum Raphaelle Follett and baby Follett, midwife Yasmine Lounes and nurse Suhasini Yelgatti.

Picture of staff with mum holding a baby
Pictured from left to right is NED Harvey Griffiths, director of midwifery Mitra Bakhtiari, NED Heather Moulder, mum Raphaelle Follett and baby Follett, midwife Yasmine Lounes and nurse Suhasini Yelgatti.

Mitra said: “I am very grateful to our hospitals’ charity who organised all the gifts and to our NEDs who spent time talking to staff and families. This was highly appreciated by all and showed just how we value our staff and grateful for anyone who works during festive holidays.”

Baby boy Goodhew also arrived on 25 December at 3.11pm to Hemel Hempstead based parents Leah Goodhew and Lee Kelley, weighing 2600g.

Christmas Day also saw the arrival of baby boy Zangor at 5.30pm, weighing 3140g. Baby girl Kaur followed shortly after, born at 7.57pm and weighing 2630g. Both babies were born to families from Watford.

Mitra continued: “It was fantastic to see so many families celebrating the birth of their babies during the festive season. As with every year, a special thanks goes to all the staff who worked over the Christmas period to look after our families.

“Our staff always make sure that each family in our care has the best experience possible, no matter what their journey is. I’m very proud of our supportive team for looking after so many babies this Christmas.”

Ends

  1. For media enquiries, please contact the communications team on: 01923 436280 or email: westherts.communications@nhs.net. For out of hours media enquiries please call the Watford General Hospital switchboard on 01923 244366 and ask for the on call communications manager.
  2. West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves people from across Hertfordshire, north London and further afield. It operates from three hospitals: Watford General, St Albans City and Hemel Hempstead. The trust has a catchment area of over 500,000 people and is one of the largest employers locally, with around 5,000 staff and volunteers.
  3. For more information about our hospitals, visit www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk. You can also join our followers on Twitter (twitter.com/westhertsNHS) and find us on Facebook (facebook.com/westhertsNHS).