Joanne Oliver, The Royal College of Midwives’ Student Midwives’ Working Group member (SMWG)

Joanne is a married mother of three who has recently qualified as a midwife and is working in The Royal Glamorgan Hospital South Wales. Her previous career was in the aviation industry, where she spent 13 years working as an in-flight trainer for British Airways Citi Express, based at Cardiff International Airport.

Her interest in midwifery arose from her own personal experience of pregnancy and birth. She was fortunate that her experiences of childbirth were normal, she birthed her third child at home, and this coupled with successful breastfeeding has strengthened her interest in the promotion of normality during labour and birth.

Realising her ambition meant returning to education which she did when her youngest child was three months old, enrolling onto a two year part time access to nursing course at the local college. Joanne also started work as an auxiliary bank nurse in the local hospitals and volunteered with Sure Start as a breastfeeding support worker. On completion of the course she was fortunate enough to gain a coveted place at the University of Glamorgan.