My new career really delivers!
Miranda Sykes’ childhood dream of being a midwife finally came true in her thirties
THERE CAN’T be many people who can thank redundancy for propelling them into their dream job, but for Miranda Sykes it was the push she needed to fulfil her lifelong ambition of becoming a midwife.
“I had always been fascinated by human biology,” says the 38-year-old from London.
“As a young girl I knew I wanted to be a midwife, but when I was at school I wasn’t encouraged to do it – the advice was that I should study something broader, so I did a biology degree instead.
“After I graduated I was desperate to earn money, so I got a job organising conferences for healthcare professionals, then in healthcare communication.
“I didn’t love the work, but it wasn’t until I was made redundant in 2008 that I considered switching.
“I was frogmarched out of the office as if I’d done something wrong. It was a horrible experience, but really galvanised me to assess whether it was an industry I wanted to go back to when there was something I knew I wanted to do far more.”
At 29, Miranda feared it was too late to retrain.
“I always thought I’d missed the boat,” she admits. “It was only after I lost my job that I looked into it and found the percentage of mature adult learners choosing midwifery is surprisingly
Miranda completed a three-year degree in midwifery and now works at London’s Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
“When I say I’m a midwife, everyone asks how many babies I’ve delivered, but my numbers aren’t that impressive because that’s not what I do now,” she explains. “Delivering a baby is only one part of a woman’s pregnancy journey. You’ll find midwives in the birth centre gently cajoling women through labour, others making home visits to new mums and some, like me, who are more desk-based. I work in safeguarding very high risk, socially vulnerable mothers and their newborns, dealing with mental health, drugs and alcohol issues.”
Miranda finds that immensely satisfying. “It’s great to do something you ence,” she says. “I’ve found my groove and have a real sense of purpose and a drive to get out of bed each morning.”
Her only regret? “That I waited until I was 29! Working for the NHS makes me unbelievably proud.”