A Healthcare Hero midwife discusses her work at the SWAH

She discusses how her role is more of a vocation than a job, and how much it means to her to be able to support people as part of their pregnancy journey.

What motivated you to pursue a career at the SWAH?

There are numerous reasons that motivated me to pursue a career here at the SWAH.

I commenced my training as a student midwife just before the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a result, I luckily had the majority of my placements at the SWAH both in community, maternity and labour ward settings, with it being my local hospital.

From my very first placement I was welcomed with open arms and everyone made me feel like a valuable member of the team whilst shaping me into the midwife I am today.

When having to move to another Trust for one of my placements in final year, I knew that the SWAH was where my passion lay.

Everyone is so friendly and supportive; it’s like having your own little work family, so I had no doubt this was a team I’d be proud to be a part of.

Could you share a significant challenge you’ve faced in your role and how you overcame it to provide quality care services?

I suppose since I am only qualified a little over six months, there have been many challenges when transitioning from being ‘student midwife Hannah’ to ‘midwife Hannah’, and gaining that confidence within myself of my capabilities now that I am finally ‘in the blues’.

I commenced my first rotation to labour ward for six months.

This was a massive challenge to me as I suppose a way to describe this setting is not ever knowing what you’re going to face.

Each shift is so very different, and there is so much to learn. At the end of the day, this is a lifelong learning career.

I have overcame this almost excitable fear by completing training to develop and enhance my current knowledge and skills, reflecting on certain situations I found challenging or perhaps quite overwhelming, whilst of course having a good natter with some of my colleagues and role models to give me the best advice and encouragement.

How do you believe your role contributes to the well-being and recovery of patients within our community?

I believe my role is so special within my community from supporting women, partners and their families right from the early days of pregnancy right up until they birth their newest addition by caring for them holistically, and ensuring all their needs are met to promote a healthy pregnancy, birth and outcomes through partnership, education and assessment within their pregnancy, birth and postnatal journey.

Can you highlight a particular patient interaction or medical achievement that you are particularly proud of and why?

Overall, at present I am still so proud of my achievement to have completed my degree and graduated with a First Class Honours degree in December, 2023 whilst securing a permanent post here at the SWAH.

I am proud of all my interactions with all women that encounter my care.

To be a part of any part of their journey in bringing new life into the world is something quite precious.

Obviously, when women that I have cared for take the time to send a card or create a comment or opinion of their positive experience that I helped to influence – that is a moment that always brings a smile to my face, and I have already started to keep such things safe at home to treasure.

How do you ensure the delivery of compassionate and effective care in your specific healthcare discipline?

I ensure the above by keeping up to date with current training to ensure I am up to scratch with the most recent clinical evidence and practice to promote the best health for our women and babies who access and avail of our maternity services here at the SWAH.

I simply just try to be ‘me’ in work, and I would say that I am a naturally very caring and compassionate person, and just love to make a positive difference to people during one of the most vulnerable and emotional times of their lives.

I always consider, “Am I delivering the care I myself would like to receive?”

Within our team here at the SWAH, I have a good relationship with everyone, and simply learn from the best, which is an invaluable way that we can provide the best care to all of our women, babies, partners and families.

What aspect of your work do you find most rewarding, and how does it resonate with your personal values and mission?

I suppose, all in all, there is nothing like delivering new life into the world whilst watching two parents meet their little one for the first time as they take their first breath and let out their first cry.

The feeling that ignites inside me when I witness this is one of feeling completely privileged that this is what I get paid to do.

At the end of the day, midwifery is more of a vocation than a job.

I have to say, seeing the tears in a father’s eyes with pure relief and proudness always gives me a lump in my throat, and I take a moment to myself and say, ‘This is why I chose to do this’.

How do you manage the demands of your job and what strategies do you employ to ensure exceptional healthcare service delivery?

I ensure I can have as good of a work-life balance as possible to ensure each shift I go into, I feel rejuvenated and well rested in order to care for all the mums and babies to the best of my ability.

Everyone both inside and outside of work that knows me will agree that I am a talker, and I feel it so beneficial to talk about certain situations that has occurred in work to improve future care by enhancing understanding and learning.

I now have a close friendship with several girls I completed my training with, and consider it an invaluable strategy to compare shifts and learn from each other.

Have there been any mentors or colleagues who have significantly influenced your practice, and in what way?

There has been so many; as I said above, we are like a little work family. Everyone has been so supportive since I commenced my training and started my post once qualified.

My mentors over my three years of training were simply amazing.

They taught me so much, always reminding me of the potential they could see in me when perhaps I was going through a stressful time with exams, placements etc., and shaped me into the midwife I am today.

The joy of working with so many wonderful mentors and midwives in the SWAH was that I could take snippets of each of their individual practice which I liked and adopt in my own practice as a midwife.

I can often see my mentors from my student days looking at me now on the job with almost ‘proud parent’ eyes that they helped me along my journey to becoming ‘midwife Hannah’.

What are your aspirations for the future, and how do you envision the evolution of your role within the SWAH?

Currently, I am completing my rotations around the different areas of our maternity services in order to increase my knowledge and skills of all the areas whilst completing my preceptorship programme.

Once this programme is completed, and my senior colleagues consider me to have the knowledge and skills required to apply for my Band 6 midwife post here at the SWAH, post one year from qualifying, that’s what I will be focusing on.

As part of the lead-up to gaining my Band 6 post, I am involved in a current audit here in the SWAH which is rather exciting and interesting.

The aim of this will be to identify areas for improvement within our service that we currently provide to make it even more effective for our women.

How do you believe your efforts contribute to the overall excellence and advancement of healthcare services in our local community?

I believe that by being one of the newest members of the team, fresh out of my training, I can bring fresh eyes to the current services we provide, from being recently taught the most current and up-to-date evidence-based practice whilst sharing my ideas and opinions.

I am eager and keen to learn and improve on what is already an exceptional maternity unit for the better of all our team and our service users.

As everyone will be mostly aware, the new Forget Me Not Bereavement Suite within SWAH maternity services was a huge advancement within our hospital, and I would feel privileged and honoured to perhaps be lucky enough to get involved in another project to make a positive difference to our local community.