Sets of triplets gathered to say farewell to a “legend” doctor, who helped ensure their safe arrival into the world.
Boys and girls aged from six weeks to 10 years old were reunited with Dr Graham Tydeman at a surprise retirement party at the Victoria Hospital, in Kirkcaldy.
The nine trios were among 20 sets of triplets delivered or cared for by the consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist during his 21 years at NHS Fife.
Dr Tydeman retires next week from leading Fife’s fetal medicine team.
Hannah Norman, of Aberdour, whose five-year-old children Paige, Lottie and Aidan Robson were born two months early, said: “Everyone classes him as a legend and the reason all our children are here.
“I truly believe my three wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for him.”
Dr Tydeman was treated to a cuddle with the region’s newest triplets, six-week-old Ylva, Hilda and Freda Dudley-Vaughan.
Their mum Halina Vaughan, from near Dunfermline, said: “It was a bit frantic getting out of the house today but it’s great to be here and see him before he goes.”
The care they received under Dr Tydeman was fantastic, she said.
“We had so many scans, we were in every few weeks and we got know the team. It was really reassuring. It is completely overwhelming when you find out you are having triplets.”
Seeing Dr Tydeman was a special gift for Kyle, Calum and Lewis Johnston, from Kinghorn, who were celebrating their third birthday.
Dr Tydeman was delighted by his noisy and chaotic send off in the maternity wing. He said: “The people here, the triplets, you get so close to them. It’s like a really intense, short-lived friendship.
“It’s a privilege to dip into people’s lives and become an important part of their lives.”
He described his profession as unlike other branches of medicine focused on preserving life.
He said: “In obstetrics it’s about the other main life force, it’s about creation. Having babies defines life almost better than anything.
“The highs are really high and the lows really low. Some people have gone through the worst tragedies they have ever had then you see them again and they are going through the happiest times.”
?️27 triplets returned to their birth place this afternoon as part of a retirement surprise for the man who helped deliver them.
Their visit to the Maternity Unit was kept secret from Dr Graham Tydeman as colleagues and friends gathered at a lunch to celebrate his career. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/7zDUb96K0t— NHS Fife (@nhsfife) April 26, 2019
Dr Tydeman, whose hands have delivered thousands of Fifers, is also well-known for his medical inventions and artistic creations.
He devised an emergency caesarean simulator for training doctors, brought to life with help of experts from Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, and created a blood clock art installation to raise awareness of severe haemorrhage in childbirth which was displayed in a London medical school.
After leaving NHS Fife he plans to conduct research in London before helping to set up a clinic in India.
