Little things make big difference for aspiring midwife

According to aspiring midwife Hannah Absalom' it's those 'little things' that make being a midwife special.

'Witnessing first-time parents seeing their baby' being there when parents-to-be hear their child's heartbeat for the first time and seeing an exhausted mother with that smug yet satisfied grin after giving birth and finally holding the baby in her arms after screaming 'I can't do this' for hours – those moments are the greatest'' Hannah said.

'Plus' it is a vibe when you catch a baby.'

Hannah is in her final term of the Bachelor of Midwifery (Graduate Entry) at CQUniversity and is looking forward to enjoying those moments on a more permanent basis.

'My official end date is sometime in early June but I was one of the lucky ones who was able to get my mandatory births and requirements completed early'' she explained.

'I just have to submit the last couple of assignments and pass - fingers crossed and I am done.'

Hannah said she looked forward to 'finally' completing her degree and landing her dream job as a midwife.

'There have been many dummy spits and 'I can't do this' moments' but I am that close to finishing now but I'm that close to finishing I can taste it'' she laughed.

'I haven't made any plans yet for after graduation but I'm going to apply for positions all over Australia'' she said.

'That's the beauty of this job' you can do it anywhere - in the big cities or in the smaller hospitals in the outback.'

Originally from Victoria' Hannah is now based in Toowoomba and said midwifery wasn't always what she wanted to do.

'It was around high school when there was pressure on deciding what you are going to be and do for the rest of your life and I was less mature back then and had the mind frame that I wanted to be a superhero so I choose to be a nurse - it's basically the same thing right' saving lives and all that?

'I knew I was interested in midwifery but I had my doubts if I would be able to cope with the stresses. Having a baby is a miracle and exciting but I just wasn't 100 percent sure if I could handle it if things went wrong - plus it was an extra year of study.'

After a few years out of being a nurse' Hannah said she was ready for the next challenge.

'I just wanted to be able to help and support parents on this life-changing journey and really make a difference.'

And so she enrolled in CQUniversity's course.

'After checking out numerous unis I found that CQU ticked all of the boxes'' she explained.

'Online study would be convenient and while I was skeptical at first as I prefer face-to-face learning' I've really enjoyed the online experience. Having a busy life schedule meant that an online course made it easier for me to be able to study whenever I could squeeze it in. Plus the uni and lecturers do everything in their power to make the online experience as easy as possible.'

Hannah said that in addition to the online course work' the midwifery degree included a number of placements – one of which she was lucky to experience on Thursday Island.

'That was an eye-opener and I was glad that the uni offered that placement opportunity'' Hannah said.

'That placement changed my perspective and approach to midwifery'' she said.

'They use a continuity of care model up there and it really does work. Naturally being such a small island' it was a real community approach to care proving that it really does take a village to raise a baby.'