From Midwife Burnout to Empowering Birth: Why I Left Midwifery and What I Discovered

Alt text: Midwife supporting woman and baby after calm labour and birth

My Journey Through Midwifery, Burnout, and Finding a Better Way to Support Women

I dreamed of becoming a midwife—and in 2004, I achieved it.

Midwifery wasn’t just a job to me. It was my dream and ambition. I loved supporting women through pregnancy, birth and parenthood, being part of such a life-changing moment for families was such a privilege.

But unfortunately, over time, the reality of my life changes and working within an increasingly stretched system began to take its toll.

The pressure. The lack of support. The responsibility.

Slowly, something shifted, something had to change.

When the System Stops Feeling Safe

For the last 10ys of midwifery, I worked in a standalone midwifery-led unit—a setting designed to support calm, physiological birth.

But the reality didn’t always match that ideal.

My last three births there were all obstetric emergencies, an undiagnosed breech, a post-partum hemorrhage along with a baby with thick meconium at delivery and a shoulder dystocia with a baby who needed resuscitated.

In an obstetric unit, midwives pull an emergency buzzer and a team of skilled professionals are on hand to provide support. In a stand alone midwifery led unit there are 2 midwives who need to call 999 for back up and then it was a 40 min transfer time to our nearest hospital.

Due to pressures on our ambulance service in NI we had to wait over an hour for an ambulance to arrive.

In each of these cases, thankfully, we had good outcomes as both mum and baby were physically well, I doubt they would say they had a positive experinece—but I can tell you honestly:

As a midwife, I was not ok

Those experiences will stay with me forever. Midwives will often look back and think of patients they have cared for. None of us go into this profession wanting to have a negative impact on birth.

It affected my confidence.
It affected how safe I felt in my role.
It affected how I viewed physiological birth.

I found myself questioning it—not because I didn’t believe in it, but because the system around it didn’t always feel safe enough to support it. I no longer felt I could work in a stand alone midwifery led unit and doing on call for Home births. I felt I would be doing the women a disservice as I knew I would be practicing with fear and making decisions based on this.

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Alt text: Calm but reflective midwife moment or empty birth room

Moving to Hospital… But Still Feeling the Strain

I transferred to a main hospital, hoping things would feel different.

But the reality was still long days, high pressure, and very little time to pause.

The adrenaline never really switched off.

At the same time, I was juggling life as a mum of three young children and a partner to someone working away from home during the week. Relying on my mum to be at my house for 6am, to do my childcare and school drop offs, so I could be in work on time

I was:

• On call

• Working long shifts

• Missing weekends and family time

• Running on adrenaline

• Skipping breaks

I remember looking at midwives in their 60s and thinking:

Will I be able to do this physically? Emotionally?

Standing for hours.
Leaning over pools for water births.
Holding the emotional weight of every shift.

Something had to change.

Why I Became a Health Visitor

I started exploring other options and came across health visiting.

Becoming a health visitor gave me something I hadn’t had in a long time:

Balance.

I was still supporting families—but in a more sustainable way.

The Moment I Realised Women Weren’t Prepared for Birth

During antenatal visits, I found myself having full birth preparation conversations—because many women weren’t getting the preparation they truly needed.

Then postnatally, I saw the consequences:

• Women feeling traumatised

• Women feeling unheard

• Women confused about what had happened

• Women who didn’t feel in control

As highlighted in guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and NHS, emotional wellbeing and informed decision-making are key parts of positive birth experiences—yet many families still feel underprepared.

And I knew I couldn’t ignore that.

Understanding Fear in Birth

One of the biggest things I saw—again and again—was fear.

Fear of pain.
Fear of losing control.
Fear of the unknown.

This links closely to the Fear–tension–pain cycle—where fear increases tension in the body, which can intensify the perception of pain in labour.

When women understand this, it becomes clear why preparation is so important.

Why I Created My Hypnobirthing Courses

That’s when I created my hypnobirthing courses through Pregnancy Birth Beyond.

Because I had seen what works.

And I knew women deserved more than just “hoping for the best” when it came to birth.

👉 Find out more about my hypnobirthing courses here [INSERT YOUR LINK]

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Alt text: Hypnobirthing class setup with mats, cushions and calm environment

My courses focus on:

• Understanding how the body works in labour

• Reducing fear and anxiety

• Practical coping techniques

• Partner support and involvement

• Clear explanations of interventions

This isn’t about a “perfect” birth.

It’s about feeling:

• Calm

• Informed

• In control

• Confident in your choices

Birth Is About More Than Just the Outcome

For so long, the focus has been:

“Healthy mum, healthy baby.”

And of course—that matters.

But what also matters is how you felt.

As Dr Sara Wickham explains:

“Women’s experiences of birth matter. Not just the outcomes, but how they feel about what happens to them.”

That’s what stays with women long after birth.

Expanding Support: Why I Also Offer Baby Massage Classes

Through my work, I also saw a gap after birth.

Many new mums felt isolated and unsupported.

That’s why I created my baby massage classes.

👉 Learn more about baby massage classes here [INSERT YOUR LINK]

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Alt text: Baby massage class showing calm connection between mum and baby

These classes help:

• Build a supportive community

• Promote bonding and attachment

• Encourage better sleep

• Soothe unsettled babies

• Give parents practical, everyday skills

And most importantly—they remind mums they’re not alone.

Who This Is For

This support is for you if:

• You feel anxious about birth

• You don’t know your options

• You want your partner to feel involved

• You want to feel calm and prepared

• You want a more positive, supported experience

Supporting You Through Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond

After 20 years of shift work, nights, weekends, and emotional highs and lows—I made the decision to do what was right for me and my family.

Now, I get to support women in a way that feels:

• Safer

• Calmer

• More personal

• More empowering

Ready to Feel More Confident About Birth?

If you’re pregnant and want to feel calm, informed, and in control—my hypnobirthing courses are designed to give you exactly that.

If you’ve recently had your baby and want connection and support—my baby massage classes are a beautiful place to start.

👉 Get in touch or book your space here [INSERT YOUR CONTACT LINK]

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