I am mum to Lucas, aged 12 and Leo, aged 7, who has Down syndrome. He is a joy to be around, is adored by his older brother and he has definitely changed our lives for the better.

My own maternity experience clearly showed me how vital the need is for best practice, support and signposting for expectant and new parents. We received a confirmed result during pregnancy and received nothing other than one very outdated book with upsetting language use.

I am DSUK Regional Coordinator Manager, as well as Regional Coordinator for the North East of England, Cumbria, London and South East.

In my role, I work with a team of Regional Coordinators based across the UK, ensuring that local maternity units have points of contact for resources, training and signposting. We also work with a range of other services such as health visitors, Maternity Voices Partnerships, neonatal units and paediatric services to ensure that staff are informed and empowered to support families. In addition, I have an advocacy role to support families to challenge poor care and practice from health care professionals.

As a team, we are determined to improve the maternity experiences for our families and ensure that everyone celebrates the birth of babies who have Down syndrome.