LMI Lecture: Leah Hazard - The highs and lows of frontline midwifery

Part of the 'Bringing Life' lecture programme organised by this year's president of Liverpool Medical Institution, Professor Andrew Weeks.

"I was born and raised in America, and I moved to Scotland in 1999 shortly after graduating from Harvard University with a degree in English and American Literature. Originally planning to work in theatre, film and television, I achieved a Masters Degree in Directing from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama before working as a researcher for BBC Scotland.

The birth of my first daughter in 2003 prompted a change of direction. I’d always been interested in women’s health, but the challenges of navigating pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period ignited a desire to know more and do better. I retrained and worked as a doula, providing practical and emotional perinatal support to families across Scotland for six years before making the biggest leap of all: embarking on a career in midwifery. Since graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University and becoming a registered midwife in 2013, I have worked in almost every clinical area of NHS maternity, including labour wards, ante- and postnatal wards, triage and community clinics. It’s been the utmost privilege to catch hundreds of babies and support thousands of birthing people and families along the way.

I’m proud to be a midwife at one of the most challenging times our profession has ever endured, but I want my advocacy to go beyond the bedside. Writing is my way of raising the profile of midwives and the people we serve, and of exploring some of the most fascinating and urgent aspects of reproductive health.

I also find deep fulfilment as a trustee for Amma Birth Companions, an organisation which provides perinatal and early years support for people experiencing significant adversity, including refugees and asylum seekers. My role includes guiding research, developing policy, influencing service design and delivering antenatal education".

More information: https://www.leahhazard.co.uk/

Please enter the building via the front entrance on Mount Pleasant.

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