Our son Maxwell was born several weeks ago at York Hospital - a place we will always remember, not only for our gorgeous son, but also for the care we received from the midwives and staff.

Maxwell made a dramatic entrance, after 41 hours of contractions followed by an emergency caesarean.

He is, of course, the perfect baby; and so it has never been a question that the travails were well worth the outcome.

But there was something else extraordinary about the experience: the people who helped Maxwell into this world.

We are a Swede and an American now living in York, so we weren't sure what to expect.

It doesn't take long after arriving in the UK to hear about the inadequacies of the NHS. This, combined with a hospital tour that revealed cramped, dour conditions in the delivery ward (the hospital is planning renovations), added to the already blossoming neurosis of two first-time would-be parents.

But all worries were misplaced, and we found that neither Stockholm nor San Francisco could match the care that we received in York. The people working at the hospital more than made up for the surroundings. They went far beyond what either of us expected or had imagined - giving unlimited attention and responding to questions and concerns at all hours. We won't bore you with all the examples.

But as we had many many days in the hospital and one unanticipated problem after the other, we had the opportunity to meet numerous care-givers. Each went the extra step not only to assist, but to explain and support.

We can't thank them each individually - there were too many - so this is to express our deepest thanks and respect.

Isabel Traugott and Kjell Bjork,

Old Tannery,

Lawrence Street, York.

Updated: 11:19 Thursday, May 01, 2003