My Moment

Hey Hubsters! I wanted to take a moment to share my journey with you. Recently, I changed jobs, and during a conversation with one of my new midwife colleagues, she looked at me with a perplexed expression and asked, “Why infant-feeding? Out of all the specialties you could choose, why that one?”

It took me back to my roots as a student midwife. When I first qualified, I always dreamed of working in the labour ward; after all, that’s where they say the real midwifery happens. Anything outside the labour ward is often dismissed as “not really midwifery.” Don’t get me wrong—I absolutely wanted to be part of that environment!

However, as part of my preceptorship, I had to explore different areas to gain broader experience. This included rotations in the postnatal ward, labour ward, and even at a community birth centre. During one of these experiences, while running a clinic for postnatal women, a mother came in for her check-up. I asked her how feeding was going, and I could see the distress on her face.

She shared, “It just really hurts.” I encouraged her to show me how she was positioning her baby. After observing her, I suggested some minor adjustments—pulling her shoulders back, shifting the baby slightly—and just like that, her face lit up. “That doesn’t hurt anymore!” she exclaimed. In that instant, I realised that my passion lay in supporting infant feeding. After that rotation, I never returned to the labour ward.

I became one of the few midwives who requested to work on the postnatal ward after my preceptorship, and that’s where I thrived. Soon after, a nine-month project came up for a Feeding Research Midwife funded by a local university, aimed at exploring infant feeding support for low birth weight babies. It was a fantastic opportunity that allowed me to collaborate with professors and the matron for the feeding team across the trust. This experience taught me so much about infant feeding and solidified my commitment to this area. (Thanks Christine for the opportunity)

Years later, after a variety of roles, I became the Feeding Lead, where I’ve been for over four years now. It’s been a journey filled with ups and downs, but I attribute my progress to that pivotal moment in the clinic.

So, Hubsters, what’s your moment? What experiences have shaped your journey? I can’t wait to hear your stories!