Kate Middleton opens up about work with midwives in open letter

Kate Middleton has revealed more about her experience working with midwives. The Duchess did the stint back in November.

• Kate Middleton has revealed more about her experience working with midwives.
• The Duchess of Cambridge did a two-day work experience stint with Kingston Maternity Unit back in November.
• In other royal news, there's a heartbreaking story behind the sweet gift Princess Charlotte was given during her first Christmas walk.

Kate Middleton has opened up about her work experience with Kingston Maternity Unit that she did back in November.

Ahead of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife in 2020, the Duchess has written an open letter about the time she spent on post-natal wards earlier in the year.

'You are there for women at their most vulnerable; you witness strength, pain and unimaginable joy on a daily basis,' Kate wrote.

'Your work often goes on behind the scenes, and away from the spotlight. Recently I was privileged enough to witness a small section of it first hand, spending several days at Kingston Hospital’s Maternity Unit.

'Although this was not my first encounter with the care and kindness provided by midwives across the country, it gave me a broader insight into the true impact you have on everybody you help.

'Over the last few years, I’ve dedicated a significant amount of my work to the Early Years,' the Duchess continued, 'the pivotal period of development between pregnancy and the age of 5 where children build crucial foundations for life.

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'Your role in supporting this critical phase of development extends far beyond the complicated task of delivering a baby successfully. The help and reassurance you provide for parents to be and parents of newborns is just as crucial. It goes a long way in building parents’ confidence from the start, with lifelong impact on the future happiness of their children.

'I want to thank you for all that you do,' she finished. 'It has been a real privilege learning from you so far, and I look forward to meeting and learning from even more of you in the coming years and decades'.

Frances Rivers, Homebirth Team Lead Midwife, Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust told HELLO!, "We were thrilled and honoured to have The Duchess come out with us on our rounds visiting mothers who are planning or have had a homebirth.

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"Several of the families discussed the challenges common to all new parents of managing a newborn's round-the-clock needs with their own well-being and the adjustment required to daily life.

"During The Duchess' visit to the maternity unit she sat in on our homebirth team meeting and heard the stories of the families we care for. She learned what having a homebirth involves - from the kit we bring to ensure the safety of mother and baby to the practicalities of setting up a birthing pool."