BABY love

THE OBSTETRICIAN

‘It’s a privilege to help women give birth safely’

‘When babies thrive, we know our support made a difference’

Dr Jo Mountfield, 58, has been a consultant obstetrician at the Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton since 2001 and became vice president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 2019. Jo lives in Winchester, Hampshire, with her husband, Steven, 64.

I get involved in a pregnancy and birth when it’s not straightforward. In an acute situation, you’re making life-changing decisions. Just recently we organised an urgent scan for a woman with high-blood pressure whose baby was not growing normally. I wanted to admit her urgently, but she had lots of social issues complicating her life and was reluctant. ‘It’s very important, as we might need to deliver your baby urgently,’ I explained.

I was correct and a heartbeat tracing that we started was abnormal. She had a caesarean within the hour. Her baby was preterm, but did well, and so did