What's the best path to midwifery?

If there's one thing that all midwifery students have in common it's that we all come from amazingly diverse and interesting backgrounds! The MSMC has connected with midwifery students all over Ontario to hear how they came to study midwifery. So how did we get here? Read our stories below, we hope you find them as interesting as we did!

We were also interested in other health care professions...
"Before I applied to the midwifery program, I did one year of social sciences at Mac. I’ve always wanted to work in a caring profession – first nursing, then social work. I was inspired to apply to midwifery last year by a family member who is now a practicing midwife. The more I researched midwifery, and as I became a passionate feminist, I realized that this is the perfect profession for me. I feel so lucky to be surrounded by these amazing women. I love my classmates, and I can’t wait to be a baby catcher!" ~ Sarah, First Year MEP

"For as long as I can remember I have been interested in pursuing a career in healthcare, which led me to complete my undergrad in nursing. After graduating, I fell into a wonderful job working with internationally educated health professionals (an area I still work in and am also passionate about!). After a few years and many exciting opportunities, I decided that something was missing and it was time to do some soul-searching. I thought about returning to nursing or post-grad, but after 8 months of travel (and meeting a midwife in Australia!) I KNEW that midwifery was my calling and wondered why I hadn’t explored it before. Maternity and L&D had always been my favourite areas of nursing, but I wanted to be part of the woman’s entire journey - I am especially excited about this aspect of midwifery - continuity of care!" - Sarah, First Year MEP

We weren't sure what we wanted to do...
"Before applying to McMaster, I worked in emergency services at the SPCA. Before that I studied to be a film critic... I always pursued what was interesting to me at the time but got bored pretty quickly. In retrospect, I don't know how I didn't come to midwifery sooner! I've always been passionate about midwifery and women's health. I'm so happy that I've finally found midwifery, I haven't been bored since!" ~ Sequoya, First Year MEP

We're passionate about women's health...
"After my first degree in Anthropology and a number of challenging personal experiences, I had gained a major passion for women's sexual and reproductive rights, and wanted to work to support them in a more practical way than I could achieve in academia or law. When I first decided I wanted to be a midwife, it was way more about working with women than babies or births - until I witnessed my first! I travelled to South Africa to shadow a midwifery collective in Pretoria for three months and became absolutely hooked. The thrill of being "with woman" through the whole process, and the majesty of birth itself are so compelling that now I can't imagine doing anything else. Not to mention the fact that I get to talk about lady bits all day!!" ~ Jenny, First Year MEP

"Growing up I learned most of my reproductive knowledge from being raised on a beef farm. I realized my keen interest in pregnancy when calving season became my favourite time in the barn. This interest always stuck with me and grew stronger after being given books on pregnancy and reproduction as I got older. I decided to complete my first degree in kinesiology because it was something I was good at, but I was often uninterested in the typical post-grad options of this degree. During my four years at Western I found myself enjoying class the most when the topic of pregnancy would come up. I enrolled in some courses solely on the fact that there was a pregnancy unit included. I finally realized that this was the population that I had always been drawn to and it is what I should ultimately do with my life." - Allison, First Year MEP

We've tried many times to get into the MEP...
"Whenever I thought about my future, I imagined a job that was surprising, inspiring and with no day the same. I originally wanted to work in the Art History sphere, which exposed me to woman's rights, philosophical thought and a passion for social change. In grade 12, midwifery found me by chance, and the more I learned about the profession, the more I fell in love. I waited four long years to get in and I have to say, I have never felt more blessed. I find myself walking through campus with a ridiculous smile on my face multiple times a week. The return to science and math has not been an easy adjustment, but with the support of my midfriends and amazing professors I am passing with flying colors. Every day I learn something new about the world and myself... and every day is one step closer to being a midwife." ~ Hannah, First Year MEP

We're artists...
"Prior to the midwifery program, I worked as a chef. I graduated culinary school, and worked in the industry for four years after that. Although I was passionate (and still am) about the culinary arts, I was not feeling fulfilled. I decided to combine my love of science with my love of people, which led to starting a biomedical science undergraduate degree at the University of Guelph. It was there that I fell in love with reproductive biology, and voila! I discovered midwifery, and realized that it offered a clinical environment where I can develop relationships with my clients, empower women, and challenge myself. I am now surrounded by the brainiest, most passionate classmates, and feel honoured to share this journey with them!" ~ Kelsey, First Year MEP

"Before applying to the midwifery program at McMaster I had a fulfilling career in the film industry, I worked in production for more than a dozen multimillion dollar feature films. I have worked/lived in Toronto, New York City, Hollywood and spent 3 months living on the Skywalker Ranch (home of Star Wars!). After getting married, I stayed home to raise my daughter while my husband deployed with military special forces. After divorcing both my husband and the military, my daughter and I moved back to Hamilton where I became involved in women's health when I began working as a pelvic teaching associate. After returning to high school to do all my sciences I eventually applied to the midwifery program and the rest is history in the making!" ~ Kim, Third Year MEP

So what's the best path to midwifery? There isn't one! What is clear is that "to succeed, you have to believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a reality."