I was awarded £1500 for the Iolanthe Midwives Award which went towards part funding a master’s module in Perinatal Mental Health, which I competed in February 2025.
I am a Specialist perinatal mental health midwife working in North Wales. Prior to completing the master’s module, I had been in post for around 2 years and had not received any formal academic teaching regarding mental health or more specifically, perinatal mental health.
Much of the learning I had completed was within my own time outside of working hours or through CPD, which I had to actively arrange myself. I therefore wanted to undertake a module at master’s levels specifically focusing on Perinatal mental health which this award allowed me to do. The module allowed me to explore all aspects of perinatal mental health including various conditions, assessment, specific interventions, infant mental health as well as safeguarding, bereavement and leadership.
During the course, I had the opportunity to network with other perinatal mental health professionals on the module, not just midwives, which allowed me to have a deeper understanding of each person’s role.
The course was predominantly reflection-based which has helped me understand my own emotions as well as any subconscious biases that I may have had, which is essential when working within mental health. I feel this approach has guided me to a more balanced and thoughtful approach to care as well as providing me with a space to contain and reflect on my own feelings, particularly after an emotive visit with a woman.
Since completing the course, I have been able to share my increased knowledge through teaching including to midwives, health visitors, neonate nurses, mental health colleagues as well as delivering a training day to student midwives through the local university.
Also, I have had a piece of work published within a midwifery journal (MIDIRS) with my newfound knowledge, linking my learning to practice using a case study. I was also delighted to have been invited to speak at the Royal College of Midwives, St David’s day conference in South Wales in February as well as the national Royal College of Midwives conference in Birmingham in May, something I don’t think I would have had the confidence to do without the learning from this course, which was thanks to the Iolanthe Midwives Trust.
I would like to thank Iolanthe for supporting my goal through receiving this award, without which, financially, it would not have been possible. I would encourage other midwives and student midwives to consider applying for one the awards in order to improve outcomes for women, birthing people and their families.
