'Midwives can create generational change'

What attracted you to study at King’s? 

First, the education. I remember going through the prospectus and thinking, ‘This sounds fun.’ I’m from Burnley, a small town in the north of England. I thought, ‘It’s a bit of a risk going to a city like London when I’ve never really been out of my little town. Should I just apply, though? It’ll be such an experience.’ When I got my offer, it was a no-brainer.

What’s your favourite memory of your time at King’s?

Meeting the friends that I did, the girls that I studied midwifery with. You just end up connecting because you go through the challenges of studying together and you can have those chats about placement work. Even now, we still message each other about what’s going on.

I also got the opportunity to join Maternal Aid Association (MAA), a charity founded by King’s medical students to tackle maternal inequalities in resource-poor settings. I brought my midwifery knowledge and, in 2019, I went to Bangladesh to provide antenatal education and checks. The work they do is incredible.

Earlier this year, you were awarded an MBE for your work with the Association of South Asian Midwives (ASAM). How did the organisation come to be?

ASAM would not have existed without MAA. I met the two other founders at a midwifery conference in Manchester where I was presenting MAA’s work. We connected off the back of that and we shared our experiences – of racism, poor care, and the poor experiences of women and staff from South Asian backgrounds. And we thought, ‘Let’s do something about it.’

We started as an Instagram page asking South Asian women about their birth experiences. We had tonnes of responses from women sharing their poor experiences. We realised that it needed to be something bigger, so we set up as a community interest company. It snowballed after that.

What have been some highlights of ASAM’s work?

The first is that ASAM has been able to cross the boundaries of maternity care just being midwives and obstetricians. We have worked with doulas, osteopaths and dietitians to build conferences together. I’m proud we’ve been able to show that midwifery and maternity is about everyone. You all need to be involved.

Second, we created a membership for marginalised midwives, which I loved working on. It was a support network where we were able to help each other through issues that were going on at work. Midwives are always so busy, so it was so nice that we had a space where we could just relax.

We set up wellbeing retreats, too. That’s what we all need as midwives – to have that time away, to focus on our wellbeing and to come back supercharged.

As you look back at your career, which moments have stayed with you?

Just knowing you’ve had an impact on someone at the most vulnerable moment in their life. It’s such a privilege that people allow me to be a part of that. I’ve had two children myself. I know how tough it is. Midwives can create massive change and generational change, too. What we teach, the way that we portray ourselves and the way that we act can impact generations to come. It’s so important that we recognise that.

I always think back to one woman who shared her birth story with ASAM. She said that her experiences had left her not wanting any more children. That’s how much we can impact people. We can ultimately change their life.

Have you faced any challenges in your work?

ASAM’s work is to do with racism and inequalities, and conversations around this can be quite uncomfortable for people. I always believe it’s best to be honest. This is work that I’m proud of and that is needed, as much as it might upset people.

Although there’s a lot of recognition for us, talking about racism in the workplace within the NHS still causes difficult conversations.

What’s next for you?

My family is a big thing. I left ASAM to care for my children, to keep that balance. But I do still have that fire inside me that there is so much work to do. I’m looking into how we can work more on grassroots levels.

With ASAM, there was a lot of policy work. Going back to working clinically, I want to see that trickle down more to these women that we’re caring for. I don’t always think it does because those conversations are difficult. I believe that grassroots, community-based working with women and families can make an impact.

Have you always been driven to take action within your communities?

I believe we’ve got so much that we can do. This is what we don’t realise as individuals: that we do have power. We have power to make a change.

And we have responsibility. Why not do it? If you try something and it fails, you’ve tried. Then you’ll try again.

Even with ASAM, some things didn’t go right the first time. We had to learn so many things. But that drive’s always been there.

What advice would you give to King’s students and alumni who want to follow in your career footsteps?

Make the most of any opportunities that come your way. King’s has a lot to offer. There will be societies, organisations and there will be other people who’ve got shared interests. Find the people. And if you can’t find them, be the first and someone will join you.