Frances Rivers is a consultant midwife at Kingston Hospital. After a decade in TV news, she retrained, eventually specialising in her passion – home birth. Now in a leadership role, she juggles a range of responsibilities, all driven by her commitment to giving women choice at this intense and emotional time. For International Day of the Midwife, Frances talks about her journey in the NHS.
Meet Frances
Tell us about being a consultant midwife
You wear a few hats. A lot of my time is spent with women on an individual basis. I have a regular clinic and that’s about supporting women’s choices in terms of how and where they want to give birth.
Part of the job that I love is quality improvement. One of my projects is around induction of labour, trying to make it a better experience for women. Another project I’ve set up is called Yoga Plus – a course to help women with fear of birth through yoga sessions and discussions. I’m also involved in ways to reduce health inequalities – particularly for women who don’t speak English. And there’s education – I do teaching and research too.
What’s your story?
This is my second career. I started out as a TV journalist, working as a producer for Channel 4 News. It was a very exciting job as I travelled the world; I went to war zones, covered elections …
Then I had a baby. Being a new mum made me take stock. Like many people, after that first birth experience, I really got fascinated by pregnancy and childbirth. I originally trained as an ante-natal teacher, but swiftly realised I wanted to be there, making a difference and the way to do that was being a midwife.
I did my training here at Kingston Hospital and worked at St George’s for a number of years. I’ve worked everywhere in the maternity units but my passion has always been home births.
What’s the best thing about the job?
It is an incredible job and a real privilege to meet families at such an intense and emotional time. What I really love about the NHS is that you meet people from all walks of life. I’ve looked after people who live in mansions and people who live in quite difficult circumstances but they all need a midwife.
It’s a huge responsibility, but what’s really rewarding is when you hear from women that you’ve made a difference – it can be something quite small. I’ve had some wonderful home births that I’ll always remember.
What is it about home births?
Being in a home environment is where you really see birth unfold as nature intended. That’s not to be misty-eyed about it – some women need medical assistance. As a midwife, you are just quietly watching and observing, making sure everything goes as it should. In a home women can be themselves completely – it’s just an incredible thing to witness and be a part of.
What do you get up to when you’re not a work?
I’ve got a labrador and he keeps me sane. I love taking him for walks and spending time with family. I love theatre as well. I play the viola – I used to play a lot growing up. It sits unopened most of the time – but every now and again I’ll get it out to play with friends.
What would you say to anyone considering this as a career?
It’s an incredibly rewarding job. It’s also a great career with so many opportunities in the NHS. It can be a job for life but that doesn’t mean you’ll be doing the same thing throughout your career. And it’s never too late – we welcome people at any stage of life.
What does International Day of the Midwife mean to you?
Midwives are absolutely key to maternal and newborn health around the world. Every single woman giving birth, no matter where she is, needs a midwife – someone who can give skilled care and support.
The team here are at Kingston are incredible and I’ve always felt it’s my home. There’s a lovely camaraderie between the midwives and the doctors and neo-natal team – there’s a culture that is really supportive.