Why many women consider a career in Midwifery after becoming mothers

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I have been a midwife for many years. I work in a hospital and stand alone birth centre setting, aswell as within the community doing antenatal check ups and visiting mothers at home. It’s a fabulous career to have and one I feel proud to be part of. What I have seen in recent years is an increase of women becoming midwives after they have become mothers. I often wondered why that was. Of course, I’m biased, but what is it that makes someone change career? Even one that could be completely different. I thought I would explore some of the reasons why many mums decide to become midwives once they enter motherhood.

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It’s a career they become passionate about

I can believe that it can be quite hard to become passionate about number crunching and meetings once you become a mum. You may have just spent a few months of maternity enjoying the journey of motherhood. So it’s normal to explore other options at this stage. Many women want to have a career that they feel passionate about. Considering motherhood has just become a huge part of their life it’s easy to see why they may want to help others become mothers. Midwifery isn’t just about bringing a child into the world; it’s about helping women see the journey they are about to embark on. Caring and guiding, offering help and advice. When you’re a mother yourself, it’s easy to become passionate about it when talking to someone else.

They want to help new mothers on the journey

A big part of becoming a midwife is to help new and existing mothers on their journey. You may be helping a first time young mother one day, offering advice and discussing labour. Or the next you could be chatting to a mother of two who’s expecting her last baby. The emotions run high. No matter what stage that woman is on the journey, you’re there to guide them through that part of it. It’s a privilege to be there and help.

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It can be very rewarding

It’s not often that you find yourself in a career that is rewarding. But helping women give birth and go through the journey of pregnancy can be one of them. It’s essential to make sure that the mothers in your care have every part of you. Your expertise, your knowledge and your kindness. As mothers, we have a fair idea of some of the emotions they may be feeling. It’s rewarding to know that your care and advice can help them through. What’s also great is that the continued learning curve you set yourself on. The training starts and you become qualified. But then the nurse revalidation process is there to ensure that we are still up to speed with policies and guidelines, and keep up to date with the latest research. The learning doesn’t stop, both physically and mentally. Which is why it can be a career where you feel rewarded yourself.

You want to relive the experience

Finally, many women want to relive the experience of birth, without the need to give birth themselves. It’s about being part of the raw emotion that is felt in the delivery room or at a home birth. It’s a privilege to welcome a child into the world. Whether it’s your own and someone else.

If you’re thinking about a change of career to Midwifery, don’t forget it has its stresses like any job, there is lots of responsibility that comes with it, and you will have to work unsocial hours! Mostly it is super rewarding and I never get bored of seeing a new life enter the world and witnessing the birth of a family. Just the other night I delivered a baby on my son’s birthday, I got a little choked up when the baby was born and I saw the couple so happy – they had a girl they had always wanted and their joy was amazing.

I hope this has enlightened you as to why many mothers consider a career change to become a midwife. Did becoming a mother influence your decision to make the change?

Disclosure: this is a collaborative post, all opinions expressed are my own. 

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