A day in the life of a midwife (and her top product tips!)
Regularly going beyond the call of duty, nurturing and empowering women when at their most vulnerable, literally bringing new life into the world - Midwives are incredible! Here at Bloomsbury Mill we’re celebrating International Midwives Day and had the pleasure of speaking with Midwife and Founder of The Birth Boutique Hannah Ewin about her amazing work and top product tips.
What made you decide to go into midwifery?
Pregnancy and birth always fascinated me as a teenager. It never crossed my mind that I could even consider training to be a midwife at the age of 18. I was applying to university to become a drama teacher but after watching a television programme on student midwives I knew straight away that was what I wanted to do and it was by far the best career choice for me.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I now work as a private midwife offering antenatal and postnatal care and using my training in acupuncture, aromatherapy, reflexology and clinical hypnosis so I can offer appointments to treat a variety of pregnancy conditions. Having my own practice is a bit of a juggling act with three small children but a typical day would consist of dropping the children off at school, seeing a couple of clients for treatments in the clinic in the morning and then a home visit in the afternoon before picking the children up. I also teach my own antenatal and hypnobirthing classes a few evenings a week.
Tell us a funny story from your world.
A client was sitting in the birth pool in labour and we asked if the partner would like to get in. He wanted to so we stepped out of the room for a few moments and when we returned we found him sitting with her in the water being a fantastic support but without any swimming shorts on!
What are your must-buys for new parents?
1. A fabric Sling for those days at home where little one always wants to be held
2. Large Muslin Squares to minimise your ever growing washing pile
3. An insulated cup to always guarantee a hot cup of tea.
Which products are not worth the money?
1. Avoid buying lots of baby clothes; you will receive so many
beautiful outfits in 0-6 months that the baby will hardly have time to wear them all.
2. Don’t purchase that all singing, all dancing, super expensive baby product. The market for babies is huge and there is literally a product out there for any small problem. Wait until the baby is here and then perhaps even look at second hand options. They are often immaculately kept as they’ve hardly been used.
What’s the best part of your job?
Managing my own diary means I can spend as much time with couples as they need. I love building up relationships with the women and their families and knowing that the support and knowledge I can share makes such a difference to birth experiences and how confident parents feel with their newborn babies.
And the most challenging?
Caring for clients who lost their babies after I became a mother myself brought a new feeling of heartache that I never experienced before I had children. It is an unusual profession to be present during moments of life and death but I felt very honoured to be one of the few people who got to hold and meet those little ones.
Hannah Ewin is a Midwife and Founder of The Birth Boutique www.birthboutique.co.uk offering private maternal and antenatal services.
To celebrate the amazing work of midwives Bloomsbury Mill will be donating lots of our practical Muslin Swaddles ,as loved by Hannah to Frimley Park Hospital and their new Mums's.