Going from dreaming....

When I was at school and thinking about what I wanted to do with my life, I briefly thought about Midwifery. However I wasn't very good at science, and despite being at a Grammar school, I was encouraged not to take a Science GCSE. On this advice I immediately shelved the idea of being a Midwife and instead planned to become a teacher....but that's a whole different story. On finishing my A-Levels, I did in fact do a GCSE course in Human Biology but at that time I was still on the track to teaching.

Needless to say teaching did not work out for me and I floated for years not knowing what I wanted to do with my life. I worked in sales, I worked in catering, I worked in an office....nothing really inspired me. As mentioned before, it was the birth of my second child that made me really return to the idea of being a midwife. After her birth obviously I was a little busy with a newborn and a 2 year old to think about and take care of, so I decided not to do anything about it yet.


When my second child was 14 months old, my husband became out of work. After a couple of months, he'd not managed to find a new job and we started to look around at the different options for us. I decided to just look into what I would need to be able to apply to become a midwife. I went along to an open evening and chatted to some lecturers. I made contact with one of my own midwives and asked her advice about what I could be doing. It became evident at this time, that I did not need to sit any further exams as the results I'd achieved at school were adequate. I decided to sit an OU course to refresh my brain a bit and so I could show some recent study experience. I was already working as a volunteer with the local breast-feeding support group and occasionally helping out with a teenage mum antenatal group and I was a member of the MSLC (Midwifery Services Liaison Committee). I subscribed to The Practising Midwife and started looking at the University websites.

Over the coming months I wrote and re-wrote my personal statement for my UCAS application and filled the rest of the form in. In the September I was finally able to submit the form and then the waiting to hear from the Universities began. I was lucky that I didn't have to wait too long before hearing from one of the Universities and I was invited for interview......which I shall tell you about next time....