Frances Findlay BSc. Midwifery, RM
I qualified as a midwife in Scotland in 2001. It had always been my intention to practice as an independent midwife as soon as I qualified. I could not imagine being happy working in any other way. I wanted to be able to fulfil the proper role of the midwife. I had doubts however about being able to make it a reality. At that time there was only one independent midwife practising in Scotland - and that was my ex-colleague, Debs Purdue. I did an elective placement with her in my final year and was fortunate to have her and then another colleague and friend who returned to Scotland from London, to support me through the steep learning curve of my first years in independent practice. These were good years in Scotland when we practised as Scottish Independent Midwives.
It was sheer coincidence that when Debs and her family moved to Dorset in 2003, my husband and I followed not long after because of his work, and we settled in Wiltshire. Debs and I continued to work together as Dorset & Wiltshire Independent Midwives until recently. Between us we covered quite a large area - Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Somerset and Gloucestershire. I continue to practise in these areas except for Dorset with the occasional trip back to Scotland to help ex-clients with second and third babies!
My interest in midwifery started when I became pregnant with my first child - and started to read about the amazing process of bringing a new life into the world. The fascination never went away but it was not until many years later, and another life, that I was able to embark on the journey to becoming a midwife. It is a privilege to study something that is endlessly fascinating, and it is an honour to be with women and their families throughout this most special time in their lives. For me, midwifery encompasses many of the things I am interested in and have considered studying in the past - social anthropology, sociology, psychology, social history, human rights and women's issues. I find being able to work in this way with families deeply rewarding and have learned so much from my clients.
I have two grown-up daughters - Julia, born in Cyprus in 1983 and Claire, born in Egypt in 1984 and am married to Colin - all of them a huge support.
When I am not working, my great loves are tennis, my garden, singing and biking - not to forget three adorable and characterful cats.
