Princess Anne and Kate Middleton.Photo: Richard Pohle - WPA Pool/Getty
Princess Annehad quite the pregnancy story for maternity experts.
Queen Elizabeth’s daughter andKate Middletonteamed up on Wednesday for a visit to the London headquarters of the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists — of which Anne and Kate are respective patrons.
“Wedged?” asked Anne, to laughter from Kate and the medical professionals, according toHello!magazine.
Professor Tim Draycott, Vice President of RCOG and Professor of Obstetrics, later shared that Princess Anne, 71, revealed that “she had tripped over a horse lorry while heavily pregnant and thought that had happened.”
Kate Middleton and Princess Anne.Richard Pohle - WPA Pool/Getty
Recounting his wife’s birth on the episode, Mike explained that “fortunately,” Zara’s friend Dolly Maude was with them “and recognized that we wouldn’t have got to hospital in time.”
“So, it was run into the gym, get a mat, get into the bathroom, get a mat on the floor, towels down, ‘brace-brace-brace,’ " Mike said.
Laughing as he recalled the dramatic experience, Mike added: “Fortunately, the midwife, who was going to meet us at the hospital wasn’t that far away, so she drove up, got there just as we’d assumed the pos-ish [as he called the position]. And then the second midwife arrived just after the head had arrived.”
Zara and Mike Tindall with their kids.Joe Giddens/PA Images/Getty
In 2020, Kate, 40, got personal about her experiences during childbirth, revealing that she turned to “hypnobirthing” for all three of her deliveries. While battlinghyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness she had during each pregnancy, Kate says she took it upon herself to learn about the birthing method.
In a roundtable meeting, the two princesses took part in a discussion with experts and new moms about the measures being taken to tackle inequalities in maternity care. And they were shown some of the pioneering work being done to improve essential gynecological skills at a local level and worldwide.
“What struck me was the way their Royal Highnesses were both interested and very curious about what we were doing and asked very personal questions — very much about looking after future generations and looking after mothers of today for the benefit of women and children of tomorrow,” Dr. Edward Morris, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, tells PEOPLE.
“I don’t think you needed for them to be mums to benefit from today,” Morris says. “But I’m sure having been mums and brought up children at very different times gave them a lot of ability and internal knowledge to ask questions that really helped the conversations to flourish and impart some of their feedback to things we might benefit from. For example, the Princess Royal was very interested in our work in Ukraine — clearly based on her experience with charities like Save the Children. It was wonderful to hear them talking from some of their own experiences as much as the keenness and very clear thirst to learn what the two colleges are doing.”
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Adds Gill Walton, CEO of the Royal College of Midwives: “The Duchess of Cambridge has a lot of interest in mental health and early years and we’ve been doing collaborative projects around that. The Princess Royal is really knowledgable about all aspects of midwifery and maternity care.”
source: people.com
