A community midwife who has delivered hundreds of babies over the past 30 years has been honoured with an award for the special care she has given patients.

Pauline Critchley was described as a "midwife in a million" by new mum Sue Newley who nominated her.

Special honour - Sue and Poppy Newley with award-winner Pauline Critchley Picture: STEVE BAINBRIDGE

Her fiancee, 35-year-old Kevin Newley, died suddenly of a blood clot in his lung just nine weeks before she was due to give birth. She said Mrs Critchley's support was invaluable.

Ms Newley, 37, of Chrismund Way, Great Tey, said: "I was so touched by how good she was. I just desperately needed support.

"I had a lot of support from family and friends and she gave me a lot of advice. She made me feel that I could cope."

"One of the nicest things she did is she came with me to the hospital when I had to have a scan as our daughter Poppy was a breech birth. She was very kind," Ms Newley said.

Only fathers are allowed to visit new mums in the evening at Colchester General Hospital so Mrs Critchley arranged for her to go in a private room to avoid upsetting her.

And she changed her holiday dates to be there at the birth.

Mrs Critchley was a guest at Poppy's christening.

Now she has been honoured as a runner-up in this year's Midwife of the Year Award, which is run by Pregnancy & Birth magazine in conjunction with the Discovery Health Channel.

In its fourth year, the award gives mums and mums-to-be the chance to thank their midwives by nominating them for the accolade and Mrs Critchley has won £50 and a bathrobe.

Mrs Critchley has worked as a midwife for 30 years and estimates she must have delivered more than 1,000 babies. She worked at Colchester General Hospital and became a community midwife in 1979, looking after an area including Halstead and Earls Colne.

Published Monday, January 27, 2003

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