Portlaoise woman wins Midwife of the Year in national awards

Portlaoise woman, Madelaine Göhrs, has won Midwife of the Year at the Boots maternity and infant Awards.

The awards ceremony which is in its tenth year were held at the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laogaire.

Hosted by RTE’s Maura Derrane, the awards recognise inspirational people and commends and celebrates the very best products for parents and babies in Ireland.

Emotions ran high as inspirational stories were shared by host Maura Derrane of the achievements by the individuals of the People Award winners in the Boots maternity and infant awards.

Read more below the picture.

Pictured - Madelaine Göhrs - Midwife Of The Year with Louise Keane and her daughter Anú. Photo credit Paul Sherwood.

A traumatic experience during labour can be a difficult thing to get over, especially when another pregnancy presents it-self. The desire to do things differently, to do things the ‘right’ way can be overwhelming and sometimes, unfortunately, out of reach.

For her fourth pregnancy, Elly Brennan (who nominated Madelaine) was sure she wanted a home birth; a birth that was a gentle and healing experience for her and her family.

Elly was searching for the right midwife to help her achieve this goal and soon discovered Private Midwives Ireland, who put her in touch with Madelaine.

Elly describes Madelaine as a caring and kind person and above all, a good listener. She says, “I never had to worry about going to the hospital, I knew that Madelaine would support me, I knew that she would be behind me if anything went wrong”. Under Madeleine’s care and attention, Elly overcame her fears and insecurities about home birthing.

Through her time with Madelaine, she realised her ability to birth her son without pain relief and at home; something that she greatly desired to do after her previous pregnancies. She says, “Every time I look at my son, I am amazed that I actually did that.

I am amazed that he’s here and he’s healthy and he’s huge. But I’m also amazed that I had the power to do that myself. That’s what makes her special. She helped me to realise that.”

Congratulating the winners on their awards, Gillian Hennessey from Boots Ireland, said: “The journey to becoming a parent is an exciting, yet daunting time and uniquely different for every Mum and Dad. With this in mind, we at Boots Ireland are delighted once again to partner and be involved with the maternity & infant Awards this year.

The People Awards are such a fantastic way to celebrate parents, as well as recognising all of the amazing people and unsung heroes around Ireland who are out there supporting them.

In addition, to the product awards are so incredibly useful to parents as a guide when choosing between the multitude of baby essentials required once you have a little one! I’d like to congratulate all of this year’s finalists and winners,” she said.

Adding to this, Tracey Carney, Event Director, Boots maternity & infant Awards said, “I would like to congratulate each and every winner, they are all heroes and so inspirational to me. I love that both the general public and judges were responsible for choosing this years best products, These awards are considered to be the most demanding in the industry, because they are judged by real experts, parents themselves,” she said.

See the full list of winners from the awards here:

Child Hero of the Year                              Molly Byrne, (age 6) from Celbridge,

                                                                  Kildare

Young Achiever of the Year                    Kaydi Smith, (age 11) from Rathmore,

                                                                  Kerry

Miracle Baby of the Year                         S am Barrett from Belturbet,

                                                                  Cavan

Pharmacist Of the Year                            Anne Marie Fadden from Clane,

                                                                  Kildare

Canavan Byrne Early Educator of the     Ida Lane from Wicklow town,

Year                                                          Wicklow

Mum of the Year                                       Alison O Reilly from East Wall,

                                                                  Dublin

Midwife of the Year                                   Madelaine Göhrs from Loais,

                                                                  Portlaoise

Grandparent of the Year                         A nn-Marie Hourigan from

                                                                  Carrickmacross, Monaghan

GP of the Year                                         Eibhlin O Callaghan from

                                                                  Mullingar, Westmeath 

Maxi-Cosi Dad of the Year                       Kei th Lynam from Birr, Offally

Business Parent of the Year                    Sarah Walsh from Navan Road,

                                                                  Dublin

Boots Outstanding Achievement             Kevin Bell from Ballincollig, Cork

Super Sibling Of the Year                        Ky le O'Driscoll from Bandon,

                                                                  Cork

Boots Special Merit of Courage and        Marie White from Muclagh, Offaly

Compassion                                            

Boots maternity & infant Product of the Year Awards

Best Baby Carrier                                     Stokke My Carrier

Best Baby Food                                        Organix Goodies Raspberry &

                                                                  Apple Soft Oaty Bars

Best Baby Gadget                                    Gummee Glove

Best Baby Monitor                                    Summer Infant Panorama Digital

                                                                  Video Monitor

Best Baby Pants                                       Pampers Active Fit Nappy Pants

Best Baby Retailer                                    Mothercare Ireland

Best Baby Skincare                                  Bepanthen Ointment

Best Baby Thermometer                           Boots Non Contact Thermometer

Best Baby Wipes                                      Aldi Mamia Newborn Extra

                                                                  Sensitive Wipes

Best Baby/Toddler Supplement               BabyV it D3 Drops

Best Bath Time Product                            Childs Farm Bubble Bath

Best Breastfeeding Product                     Cl eva Mama ClevaCushion 10 in

                                                                  1 Nursing Pillow

Best Car Seat                                           Maxi-Cosi Axis s

Best Family Brand                                    Aldi Mamia

Best Family Car                                        ŠKODA KODIAQ

Best Family Cleaning Product                 Milton Washing Up Liquid

Best Family Detergent                              Fairy Non-Bio Pods

Best Family Hotel/Holiday Destination     Dingle Skellig Hotel

Best Feeding Product                               Munchkin Go Bowl Silicone Bowl

Best for Baby Colic                                   Infacol Oral Suspension

Best Holiday Product                                Huggies Little Swimmers

Best In Fertility                                          pre-Concei ve

Best Nappy Cream                                   Sudocrem Care & Protect

Best Nappy Range                                   Pampers Premium Protection

                                                                  Nappy

Best Parenting Blog                                  One Yummy Mummy

Best Potty Training Product                     IK EA LOCKIG Children's Potty

Best Pregnancy Supplement                   B oots Pregnancy Support Plus

Best Safety Product                                  Prince Lionheart Child View

                                                                  Mirror

Best Santa Experience                             Fota Island Resort

Best Skincare for Mum                             Aldi Lacura Caviar Illumination

                                                                  Day Cream

Best Sleep Product                                   MAM Night Soother

Best Stroller                                              Out n About Nipper Single V4

Best Time Saving Product                        tommee tippee Closer to Nature

                                                                  Perfect Prep Machine

Best Travel System                                  Baby Elegance Venti Travel

                                                                  System

Innovative Product of the Year                Cognikids Sip