Meet the instructor: Kirsty
A Bump & Baby Club instructor for eight years and counting, Kirsty, teaches antenatal classes at two of our Surrey Clubs: Guildford and Haslemere.
How did you get into midwifery?
I started training 12 years ago, in my late twenties. Before that I did an art degree then I worked as a nanny. I ended up working with mainly newborns and doing maternity nursing and it led to my interest in becoming a midwife - so I made that transition and never looked back!
Is there a particular role in midwifery which you’ve enjoyed the most?
At the very beginning of my career I worked with a charity that supported women in prison - I coached and supported the women through pregnancy and attended their births. It was really interesting and an amazing way to start my career. I have always treasured those memories. Beyond that, I love all aspects of midwifery - community work, labour ward, postnatal ward and home birth. I enjoy all of it. And I love teaching for Bump & Baby Club. Being able to support a woman and their partner - whether it's in pregnancy, the birth itself or the postnatal period - is such a privilege and very special.
Have there been any standout moments for you?
The most amazing moments for me were when I was going through birth myself and being supported by midwives. Receiving their care and feeling so nurtured and supported by these compassionate women was just amazing. It gave me a new found respect for the profession and I loved witnessing it through a labouring woman's eyes.
I think as midwives it can be quite difficult to switch off the midwifery side of our brain when having our own babies. I was analysing and second guessing everything which probably made me quite a challenge to care for! So it felt very special to have incredible midwives helping me to switch off and supporting me through it all.
Has motherhood shaped how you work as a midwife?
It’s a wild ride having a baby and it’s given me that next level of respect for everyone giving birth. And I’ve become more emotional about it. There's rarely a dry eye during birth anyway, witnessing it is a very emotional experience, but becoming a mother has made me extra emotional when I see a family meet their little one.
What drew you to antenatal teaching and what you enjoy about it?
It just felt very natural for me to talk about what I love - labour, birth and postnatal life. So, despite not seeing myself as a teacher to start with, I quickly realised how much I love sharing my knowledge and watching people learn and thrive over an antenatal course.
At Bump & Baby Club we spend more time talking about babies, which is great. There’s four hours on labour and birth, followed by six hours on postnatal life, feeding and first aid - so it's more heavily weighted towards the babies and that's the part I really enjoy and think families need a lot of support with. So I really look forward to the weeks where we do hands-on practical skills. And I can see everyone grow in confidence after tentatively picking up their baby doll or ‘towel baby’. They get more used to the feeling, more comfortable, and you can see their maternal and paternal sides coming out. I've had people take their baby to the bar with them to get a drink during the break, saying it doesn't feel right to leave the baby on the chair! Watching them grow in confidence is an amazing part of it for me.
In terms of the vibe within the group, how does it change over the weeks?
The vibes definitely change as the weeks go on. So during Week One, everyone is quite tentative and trying to see what this is all going to be like. Then, by the time we’ve had a break halfway through the class, just for 10 minutes, everyone's so much more relaxed. It's so lovely. I have to fight to get them back for the second part of the session because they've made connections and found things in common with other people. By Week Two, they all feel much more comfortable and for the other weeks, everyone's normally really excited to come. And it’s so emotional in the last week because none of us want it to finish! So it gets to nine o'clock then ten past nine, and no one's going home. Then it’s quarter past, and I’m like, ‘Should we go get a drink?’ and they're like, ‘Yeah, let’s go get a drink’! So as the weeks go on it becomes a really nice, tight-knit group and it's a lovely experience to see them all gel and all support each other,
How have you found motherhood?
I've absolutely loved motherhood - It’s been transformative and amazing, but more challenging than I anticipated!
Watching your children grow and become who they're becoming, is really special. And I’ve really enjoyed involving them in my career. They love what I do and talk about birth all the time. If there's a doll in the house, they ask, ‘Where's the placenta?’ They are very tuned into midwifery. My older son watched as his baby brother was born. That wasn't on purpose - he just came down for breakfast and saw his brother arrive! He was two at the time and got to have the first cuddle. He asked if we could name the baby ‘Chocolate’!
My experience also inspired the small business that I set up with a friend and colleague, where we support young kids who are about become a big brother or a big sister. They do a workshop with us and learn all about being an older sibling - we do a few skills with them and celebrate them and hopefully make them feel very special in their new role. It’s something I wish I’d had for my toddler at the time, to help him with the transition. So we’ve been running the Siblings Skills Club for a year now and it’s been an amazing journey so far.
