Kate Middleton Astonishes Mother And Newborn Baby With Emotional Video Call

May 06, 2020 by apost team

The Duchess of Cambridge has surprised a couple with a video call less than 24 hours after their baby was born. Speaking with Rebecca Attwood and John Gill, whose son Max was born 16 hours before the call, Kate Middleton cooed over the little baby as she spoke to the new mum and dad.

The reason for her call to Kingston Hospital comes after she had a two-day work placement in their maternity ward last November, and she was calling to speak with midwives to discuss how they and expectant families were coping amid the coronavirus crisis.

Her exchange with Rebecca and John was very sweet, with the duchess saying:

"Hello! Very nice to meet you! This is definitely a first, I think!" before adding "He is so sweet. Ah, congratulations! When did you have him?" When the beaming parents explained he was born at 10 pm the night before, Kate replied, "My goodness, you must be exhausted."

Hailing from Raynes Park, southwest London, Rebecca later told Hello! Magazine:

"Having a baby is an extraordinary experience at any time, but having one during lockdown and then having a surprise conversation with the Duchess of Cambridge after two hours' sleep was particularly surreal! The duchess asked us about having a baby at such an unusual time, and our experience on the maternity ward was that all the midwives made it as normal as possible—apart from the masks, it was exactly the same as when we had our first son, Rafe, in 2015. The midwives were amazing on both occasions."

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Kate's virtual visit to the wards of Kingston Hospital came about ahead of UK Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, which is taking place from May 4-10. After hearing from the midwives how the coronavirus pandemic has altered the experiences of expecting parents and mothers, due to the extra safety equipment the staff have to wear for appointments and births, Kate decided to give the hospital a call. Speaking with lead midwife Sam Frewin, Kate saw the nurse put on an apron and mask before taking the laptop into the new parents' room. She joked "I'm smiling, can you tell?" to which Kate replied, "With your eyes, I can."

As well as speaking to new parents and nurses at the hospital, Kate spoke with maternal health professionals about how giving birth in the time of coronavirus has changed. It seems some expectant parents are nervous about coming into hospital and catching COVID-19, but staff have assured families they are doing everything they can for the experience to be safe and remain as normal as possible.

Though the situation is unprecedented, Kate and the professionals working in obstetrics and gynaecology urged mothers who are suffering from mental health issues to reach out and get help.

They likened the fear of speaking up to those who are working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, underlining that it's imperative to reach out and that help is available for those who need it. Kate also suggested speaking to other mothers, as they might be going through similar feelings during this time.

Director of Midwifery Gina Brockwell spoke to Hello! Magazine about Kate's call to Kingston, saying:

"She's clearly very interested in maternity services. She spent quite a long time with us back in November so really seemed to have a good understanding of our role, but also around the challenges of having a baby and a new family and the raising of people's awareness of the sorts of challenges that people have to go through. So it's an honour actually that she wanted to come back again."

It's incredible to see how the entire world is coming together during the coronavirus crisis, but especially the royal family's continued support of healthcare workers.

What did you think of Kate's unexpected call to the maternity ward? Let us know in the comments and be sure to pass this on to your family and friends!