When the Loose Women met #TeamESTH’s Andrea Cox
On Friday 22 December's episode of ITV’s Loose Women, presenters Nadia Sawalha and Judi Love spend time with the maternity team at Epsom Hospital.
Nadia and Judi had the opportunity to be midwives for the day, as they shadowed Epsom Hospital midwives Andrea Cox and Anne Okonkwo. They saw what the job was like, witnessed a c-section, and heard from the team about their career journeys.
Andrea Cox, theatre midwife, pictured above on the left, took part in the filming on the day and was interviewed by the Loose Women. As a theatre midwife, Andrea assists doctors in performing c-sections. We caught up with her about her career…
· How long have you been a midwife?
I've been a midwife for 27 years, 17 years of which I was a labour ward coordinator. But then I decided I wanted to spend more time with my family, so I've reduced my hours and now work Monday to Thursday early shifts as the theatre midwife.
· What inspired you to get into a career in midwifery?
I originally was a nurse, and I started my training for this when I was 18 years old. I was qualified for three years then went on to do midwifery training as decided I wanted to do something new. I haven't looked back since and I love my job.
· For anyone considering becoming a midwife, what advice would you give them?
My advice to someone wanting to train to be a midwife would be to go to some university open days and speak to some student midwives to find out about the course.
The course has changed significantly since I trained. They will need to be patient, caring, and have good communication skills.
I don’t know anyone that regrets choosing midwifery as a career. You are caring for women and supporting them and their families through the process of bringing new life into the world, what could be better than that?
· What attracted you to midwifery at Epsom Hospital specifically?
I chose Epsom Hospital as I did the second part of my training here and loved it. It's so friendly and just a lovely unit to work in. It's also my local hospital and quite close to where I live so this was particularly important when I had my four children.
· What was it like meeting Judi, Nadia, and the Loose Women team?
We were so excited to meet the Loose Women and for them to come to our maternity unit. We were honoured that they chose our unit to film their episode on what career they would have chosen if they weren't Loose Women. They were quite emotional during the filming, which just showed and reminded me what a wonderful experience it is to be present during a birth.
If you’re a midwife interested in a role at our hospital, take a look at the opportunities we have available at: http://jobs.epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk/#!/job_list/s1/Nursing_Midwifery?_ts=1
If you are interested in training to become a midwife, visit the NHS health careers website at: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/midwifery/studying-midwifery
