This Mother’s Day, midwifery student Georgie reflects on how becoming a mum - and the challenges that came with it - inspired her to pursue a career supporting other women at their most vulnerable.
For Georgie Beale, now in her second year of studying Midwifery, motherhood didn’t just change her life - it changed the trajectory of her career. She had always been drawn to maternity and mental health care fields - “I was obsessed with watching One Born Every Minute,” she recalls - but it wasn’t until the pandemic that Georgie realised she wanted to make a greater impact than her hospitality job allowed. Crucially, her experiences during pregnancy and birth - especially with her youngest, born during the height of COVID restrictions - proved to be a turning point.
Amid stretched maternity services, Georgie recalls feeling unheard and alone after giving birth. Messages to her midwife went unanswered for over a week, and she struggled to receive basic information about her care. She remembers being shouted at for her mask slipping while she tried to latch her newborn. “I didn’t want to make a complaint - I wanted to make a change,” she recalls.
Just three months after giving birth, Georgie enrolled in an access course at her local college. She was working full‑time, home‑schooling two children and studying late into the night - often in tears, convinced she couldn’t complete the course. But with support from her college, she pushed through.
Her first role in healthcare, on an acute mental health ward, became one of the most challenging years of her life. She faced violence from patients, exhaustion and fear - but it strengthened her resolve. After shadowing shifts in a maternity ward, Georgie was invited to apply for a role as a Maternity Support Worker at East Sussex Trust in Hastings.
She completed her care certificate in four months (a process that usually takes a year) and secured a permanent position in 2023. The more she learnt, the more she knew midwifery was where she ultimately wanted her career to be.
Still, she hesitated. “I was about to turn 30, with two neurodiverse children. School life is tricky for my kids. Could I add a degree onto the workload?” She also considered how training would affect her husband as they share childcare equally.
Georgie successfully applied to be an Apprentice Student Midwife at the same Trust and now encourages women considering a healthcare career that success doesn’t have to follow a traditional path. “You don’t have to do things in a linear order,” she says. “If you have children young and you’ve been told that’s the end of you, it’s not true. As long as you have the strength and determination, you can do it.”
For mothers considering studying, Georgie emphasises self‑compassion and transparency. “Be kind to yourself, ask for help and don’t quit. If you’re struggling with an essay, ask for an extension - there’s always something your tutors can do to support you. And find a way of learning that suits you, whether that’s practical work, listening to podcasts or exploring research projects.”
Georgie’s children are proud of her journey. “My youngest always asks whether I’m on the baby’s side or the mum’s side when I come home. My eldest leaves me lovely notes in my work bag telling me how proud he is.”
As for what she enjoys about studying midwifery, Georgie says: “I love being on the unit as a hands‑on practical learner. What I love most is advocating for the women I look after - making sure they’re heard and their wishes are listened to where possible. I’m passionate about ensuring that women are truly listened to.”
She does concede that there are some challenges studying with caring duties – namely, mum guilt. “If I’m missing things, the mum guilt is real. There are certain things I don’t get to and that is hard as a mum when you’re used to being at everything. But I’ve learnt to let go.”
Ultimately, Georgie hopes to enter maternity safeguarding and mental health, supporting vulnerable women with compassion and advocacy. She is determined that when she qualifies, her ward will be a place where women feel safe and heard. “I wasn’t listened to because I was young. In maternity wards, you’re dealing with women who are at their most vulnerable and they need someone who will listen, advocate and give them confidence.”
Georgie isn’t the only student whose path into healthcare was shaped by motherhood. Ella, a second‑year paramedic student, was inspired after watching her mum work on the frontline during the pandemic.
“I’ve always been interested in the NHS. I initially studied paediatric nursing, but after the first year I wasn’t sure I was in the right place. I didn’t enjoy being in the hospital from early morning until late at night without seeing daylight.”
Ella started to seriously consider becoming a paramedic when she saw her mum come home in full PPE during the pandemic. “After that year, my mum said, ‘Why don’t you try this?’ and it just clicked.”
Growing up with a paramedic in the family gave Ella a realistic picture of the job. “She told me loads of stories before I applied. Most people would be scared hearing them, but for me it sounded like something I wanted to do.”
Having her mum as a sounding board has been invaluable. “With assignments and essays, it’s honestly brilliant - especially anatomy and physiology. When I’m out on placement and struggling to process something, she’ll talk it through with me.”
One of Ella’s favourite moments so far was unexpectedly ending up on the same job as her mum. “During my placement, we were called out to Croydon, and I noticed on Find My Friends that we were getting closer and closer to her location. Then we got out of the truck and there she was.”
Ella hopes to stay in the service as long as her mum - 30 years - and eventually move to Australia to work as a paramedic. But there’s one goal she wants to tick off first: “We’ve always said we want to do a shift together before she retires.”
