A midwife from Harlow has been shortlisted for The Infacol Baby Bonding Award. Tersa Keen, who is a midwife at the Princess Alexander Hospital, was nominated for the award be Emma Knewstub after she went beyond the call of duty when helping her through a distressing birth of her first baby. Emma said: "Teresa dropped her Friday night plans and came to help deliver my baby when I unexpectedly went into labour. Having planned a water birth, I was devastated when they told me I would have to go into surgery. My ordeal didn't stop there, my son was born with the umbilical cord around his neck and I thought that he wouldn't survive. Thanks to Teresa, who was with me through my whole labour, I was put at ease. I couldn't have done it without her. Her care didn't stop after birth and she organised her rota so she could take care of me until I was discharged."

Teresa qualified in 2005 after completing her three-year midwifery degree at Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford. She says it was 'absolutely lovely' to have been nominated for the award. She adds: 'I'm just surprised and thrilled that someone felt strongly enough to go to the trouble of nominating me and realising the care that I gave.' Teresa is clearly very passionate about her job and says: 'This is definitely the job for me; I love what I do and enjoy giving hands of clinical care.'

Tereasa says that she could not possibly say how many babies she has delivered in the last five years but: 'As part of my training I had to deliver 40 babies before I could qualify and since then the figure must be in the 100s.