Councillor speaks out for Rochdale maternity after birth of first child

Councillor Dale Mulgrew with his newborn son Tristan Joseph.

Balderstone and Kirkholt Councillor Dale Mulgrew has spoken out for the professionalism of staff at Rochdale Infirmary's maternity unit after the birth of his first child.

Councillor Mulgrew was on the maternity ward just five days before Christmas as his wife gave birth to their first child, a little boy named Tristan Joseph.

Councillor Mulgrew was extremely proud and elated. He said: "What a magical Christmas gift! This meant that I and my wife had a wonderful first Christmas spending it with our new son. The significance of a Christmas birth was also not lost on me at such a time when we celebrate the birth of another special arrival. This all really brought home to me the significance of beginning a family and the huge responsibility that this brings.

"But the sleepless nights have now started to kick in and the onset of new parenthood has begun - and so has the revenge of my parents who, like many others, would always say, 'wait until you become a father!'

"All parents out there now have my utmost respect as I am finding 4am nappy changes an interesting part of this new experience. But this is only a minor downside and everything has gone really well thus far and we are very fortunate."

He concluded: "There is a serious side to this because many residents of Rochdale either use the services at Rochdale Infirmary's maternity unit or work there. So I would like to praise all the staff that cared for my wife and son for their sheer professionalism and great compassion that we witnessed in abundance. We were extremely well looked after."