I live in Oxford
with my husband, 2 daughters and various animals. When I'm not working
I love spending time with my daughters and that generally involves animals
of some sort, often horses and I have had to conquer a lifelong fear
where they're concerned! When I get the time I like to read -anything
and everything- unfortunately I hate putting a book down in the middle
so my reading has become confined to holidays. If I have any other spare
time I tend to spend it socialising. As anyone who knows me will tell
you, I do love to talk.
Why
I chose to be an Independent Midwife
I have been a midwife since 1989. I trained in Bath but I have worked
in Oxford, my hometown, ever since I qualified. I had a break of 3 months
in 1989 when my first daughter was born and a break of 6 months in 1996
when my second daughter was born. Other than that most of the intervening
16 years have been spent as a community midwife.
My aim and my passion have been to give women and their families continuity
of care from booking through the birth of their babies and into life as
a family. If it were not for the enormous pressures on midwives working
in the NHS I would have done that forever. Unfortunately as time has gone
on I have found it more and more difficult to give women the care they
deserve at such an important and wonderful time in their lives. This finally
led me to the conclusion that the only way I could continue as a midwife
and retain some sanity was to practice as an Independent Midwife. Top
My
Philosophy
Being a midwife is an amazing job! I never cease to feel honoured and
privileged to be a part of such a miraculous yet "everyday"
process. Women constantly impress and inspire me with their ability
to deal with so much in their lives. Never is their strength and courage
so evident as in the course of their pregnancies and the birth of their
babies. My aim is always to help and support women to find this inner
strength and use it to find their own ways to birth their babies in
the way that they choose. My aim is to inform, guide and support, give
advice when it is looked for but never to undermine women's innate ability
to understand their own bodies and make the choices that are appropriate
to their lives. Top
My Qualifications I was a registered
nurse before I trained as a midwife. I subsequently gained a BA degree
in Women's Healthcare and have passed a recognised course to prepare
me for dealing with obstetric emergencies (ALSO). I am registered with
the NMC, our governing body. Midwifery is a very tightly regulated profession
and I have a supervisor of midwives who ensures that my practice is
up to date and my equipment in good working order. I am also a member
of the RCM and of the Independent Midwives association. Top