A Day in The Life of a Midwife

London-based NHS midwife Carrie Sirry let us follow her along on a typical day in the labour ward.

Through a series of video updates, we get to see a real insight into what an average day at work looks like for someone working on the front lines, helping new and expecting mothers when they need it most.

Introducing Carrie...

It’s always a bright and early start

The day starts at 6:40am for Carrie to give her plenty of time to arrive at the hospital for 7:30am. This marks the beginning of her mammoth 12 and a half hour shift at the labour ward!

Upon arrival at the hospital, Carrie gets a quick ID check, sanitises her hands, pops on a face mask and changes into scrubs before finding the midwife she is taking over from, to create a seamless handover for the patients.

Labour ward midwives do it all

There are various types of midwives, but Carrie spends her time in the delivery suite (or labour ward) where she works together with doctors to support women through pregnancy, labour and birth.

Most commonly, however, Carrie cares for mothers who have had their labour induced or have suffered complications.

Carrie cares for women at a wide variety of stages in their pregnancy, from 16 weeks to six weeks postnatal… This means no day is the same and Carrie is constantly kept on her toes.

Coffee breaks are a treat!

On a 12 and a half hour shift, Carrie and her colleagues are entitled to one and a half hours of break time. But when it’s a busy day on the ward, duty calls and breaks can be limited. This means when there is a sliver of time to grab a coffee, you better make the most of it!

The word ‘quiet’ should never be spoken aloudlowed

The ebb and flow of the day in the delivery suite means a calm second can be swiftly followed by a busy ten hours…

Working through a pandemic

Although hygiene is always front of mind for healthcare professionals like Carrie, the current pandemic means there are a few extra precautionary steps added in to the everyday checklist.