A little bit about me...

I began my midwifery journey in Bradford, 10 years ago, training and then working there as a community midwife. I loved the essence of community midwifery care but was frustrated by the lack of time I had with each woman, and therefore the quality of care I could provide. My antenatal clinics and booking clinics were always running late and I worked until late every day. 

I then moved to Manchester and worked in a hospital, rotating around the different areas - this includes Labour Ward, Antenatal Ward and Postnatal Ward. The same issues resurfaced - high stress, no breaks, always staying late, little time per woman and unable to give the quality of care I felt women deserved. I felt my ability to empathise plummet as the stress of the workload rose higher and higher. However, the feedback I received didn't match how I felt about the quality of care and support I had given - but I knew there was so much more I could do if only I had the time. 

I then found the job of my dreams with One to One Midwives, a company funded by the NHS to pilot Continuity of Carer. 'Job' isn't the right word, it was a way of life. I lived and breathed midwifery, building relationships with families (children and pets included!) in their own home, which provided a safe space for open, varied and personalised discussions. I learned what was important to them, what their previous experiences were, what they wanted this time and was able to explore research relevant to them and have honest discussions where they were in control. I supported them at their hospital appointments if they wished, as doctors tend to be more policy and guideline focused, rather than supporting informed choice and women's autonomy. I was on the other end of the phone for them if they had any questions or worries - and unlike any other relationship made within my NHS roles, I was able to understand these women in a more holistic way and could respond to them as such, with empathy and understanding.

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These women varied massively, yet in being supported through continuity, they felt empowered to make their own choices in pregnancy and birth, based on unbiased information - and knowledge of the hugely impactful psychological aspects of birth. This would often include women with complex care needs, who made informed choices right for them, and were supported, whether or not they were the 'recommended' option.

Around 30% chose to give birth at home - the beauty of sharing such an intimate time with a family I cannot describe! For them, their birth was with someone they knew and trusted, in the space within which we had built that trust together, sometimes with the whole family too! This has given me a great deal of homebirth experience and is by far my favourite environment for supporting birth.

I would then continue to care for them at home for up to 6 weeks with their new little human, who I also felt I knew in a way I never felt in the NHS. I supported them with any feeding concerns and was able to identify mental health concerns much more easily, because I already knew them so well and was with them for longer than the standard 10-14 days postnatal care provided in the NHS. 

Sadly, One to One Midwives was decommissioned in 2019 due to funding. This is extremely upsetting to the many women that got to experience the many benefits of this model of care, and for the many midwives, like myself, who felt that continuity or carer was the only way they could be a midwife. .