Drumquin midwife retires after 36 years

A DRUMQUIN midwife who spent 36 years providing exceptional care and compassion to mums and their babies is retiring at the end of the month.

Rosemary Lynch works in the Neo Natal Unit in South West Acute Hospital, Enniskillen but has made the tough decision to retire after a long career of delivering and looking after babies.

Last week, Rosemary’s colleagues from the Maternity Ward and Neo Natal Unit held a surprise retirement party for the dedicated midwife to mark the sad but special occasion.
Rosemary started off working as a midwife having graduated from her nurse training aged 21 years old.

She began her midwifery career in Belfast before moving back home to Drumquin to work in the Tyrone County Hospital, remaining there until the unit closed.

She then transferred to the Erne Hospital in 1994, and then onto South West Acute Hospital when it opened in 2012.

For the past 19 years, Rosemary has been working in the Neonatal unit looking after premature babies, a role she truly loves but she feels the time is right to retire.

Rosemary said, “It has been a privilege for me to work with such a wonderful team of nurses, health care assistants and midwives.

“Bringing new life into the world is such a joy and sharing this special moment with new parents is something that I will always treasure.

“My role in the Neonatal Unit is to care for premature babies and supporting their parents through this difficult journey.

“Seeing babies thrive and go home to their families is very special and I love receiving pictures of how well they have progressed through their milestones – it really is one of life’s miracles.

“We get to know the parents really well if the babies have been in the ward for a while, and the odd time, they will come back for a wee visit,” added Rosemary.

Rosemary is also a very talented painter and attends art classes so she hoping to spend more time on this passion once the lockdown is lifted.

An avid traveller, Rosemary is looking forward to going on a few trips while she also plans on spending some quality time with her 81-year-old mum Rosaleen (Rosie) and looking after the garden.

Rosemary continued, “I have been thinking about it for over a year, but it was a very tough decision to make.

“I have a lot of plans. I love travelling and I had a few trips cancelled this year, so I hope to make up for that,” she concluded.

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