When your second child leaves home…

19th Sep 2025

Middle Child is going to University! 2 years ago, in one of my first posts, I wrote about Firstborn Son leaving home. Like everything about the second child, I suspect this transition is going to be the same but different, some things easier, some harder, but none of them quite as bewildering. Let’s go back…
Both things can be true

7th Sep 2025

This one is about gratitude. But from a pesky feministic point of view. I noticed, looking back over the two years of writing this blog (yes, midwifemotherme.com is turning two in a few days!) that I was often qualifiying my arguments with a reference to how grateful I am for the privilege of having choices that…
Caught between a rock and a hard place

29th Aug 2025

In her iconic song, Papa Don’t Preach, Madonna has to decide whether or not she should keep her baby… I’m not keen on abortions. Look, I can’t bring myself to kill a spider. And I really dislike spiders. I prefer to use the cup and paper method, and then, voila, problem solved! If only an…
The one about summer

10th Aug 2025

Not wanting to make excuses for not adding new posts recently, but… Sweet Jesus, I’ve been hot! I’m not complaining, mind, I love the balmy weather. We’re just not that good at dealing with decent weather in London. Air conditioning is catching on, but most homes don’t have it. Every year, for about a week…
It’s difficult when you’re an NHS midwife

24th Jun 2025

How do you practice self-care? We’re often too busy looking after other’s needs. That’s the job. But the powers that be don’t make it easy for us. As we know, it’s been unusually hot in London over the last few days. But we have no air conditioning in our not-at-all-purpose-built, south-facing, antenatal clinic building. And…
Decisions, decisions…

16th Jun 2025

I’d over cooked the other day. Or maybe I’d catered for middle child and he’d made plans to eat less nutritious and worse value food without providing adequate notice. So anyway, I was putting the leftovers in an old plastic box (probably a takeaway box acquired by Middle Child from another expensively nutritionless meal, undoubtedly…
Nope, still not autumn or winter

11th Jun 2025

What is your favorite season of year? Why? Learning to embrace autumn (and winter) I tried. Not gonna lie, I much prefer the spring. Every year, the metamorphosis of the trees, from seemingly lifeless skeletons to gloriously green, life sustaining lushness, via a cloud of fabulous blooms… astounding! We’re on the cusp of summer now.…
To yearn is human

3rd Jun 2025

So I was in Florence last weekend. I know, lucky me! This was Leonardo da Vinci’s home town. I finally made it to the Uffizi gallery and took in some exquisite art, including his version of the annunciation. I’ve finally acquired the maturity to really appreciate these renaissance masterpieces. Sure, some of the baby Jesuses…
It wasn’t better!

27th May 2025

Do you remember life before the internet? Dear Google maps, I’m writing to you because I’m your biggest fan. I’m literally lost without you! We go back a long way, you and me: I loved your previous iterations too. I first knew you as TomTom when you were a bulky and expensive piece of hardware,…
Live and let live

19th May 2025

A few weeks ago, the supreme Court ruled that: Look, I’m gen X and I’m a wee bit surprised that this needed to be confirmed by a bunch of high court judges. But I’m hoping that this means we can have respectful conversations about gender equality. Being able to have polite disagreements about sensitive topics…

Midwife, Mother, Me

You don't have to be a midwife to be a mother. Or a mother to be a midwife!