Caroline Bowden Supporting ViParent’s

It’s been over a year since talks started with the teenage midwife at Gloucester Royal Hospital about the ways in which we could work in partnership to increase the services available to young parents and parents to be in Gloucester.

Last week ViParent’s (ViPs) and The Link welcomed Caroline Bowden, a community mid-wife who will be supporting the ViP’s regular session by providing ante-natal check-up appointments. In addition this also means that the group benefit by having a medical professional on site should they want to ask any questions or get advice.

Caroline, qualified as a midwife in 2007 and has worked in both Cheltenham and Gloucester hospital and has moved to work out in the community a year ago, referring to this new partnership Caroline said “in my experience young parents prefer to be seen in a setting that includes just their age group, hence introducing a drop in clinic at The Link.”

So with the partnership in place it meant The Link team had some work to do to prepare a room that was suitable and equipped to offer this service. Caroline advised it was essential the room had a sink and with no plumbers amongst us it was a call to the landlord to help with ripping out the old and in with the new. The new included new flooring, sink, examination couch, blinds, chairs and numerous coats of paint to try and cover the black paint inherited from when The Link was a tattoo shop!

Now the room is a perfect and clean space that is welcoming to those that will be using it and a functional place for Caroline to work from. Both The Link team, ViParents and Caroline are looking forward to welcoming young parents through its (newly painted!!) doors and then later down the line meeting the new babies who were previously tucked up and snug in their mummies tummies.