Coventry mum retraining as midwife after life‑changing maternity experiences

A Coventry mum has swapped the classroom for the delivery suite after her own maternity experiences inspired her to help others.  

After five years of teaching at primary school, Clare Scruby, pictured, decided to follow in the footsteps of her mum, auntie and nan and pursue a career in healthcare.

The 28‑year‑old’s decision was shaped by a positive birth experience when she had her daughter Rose and a traumatic ectopic pregnancy.

Now in her second year of a midwifery degree at Coventry University, Clare, from Radford, has already helped welcome 20 babies into the world while juggling her studies as a mum to her now seven‑year‑old daughter.

She said: “I’ve had both really positive and really difficult experiences in maternity care. If I can use those experiences – and say what I wish someone would have said to me – to make things easier for someone else, then that’s got to be worth it.

“I really want to help people in the moments they’ll remember forever.”

Following her ectopic pregnancy – when a fertilised egg implants itself outside the uterus – during the COVID‑19 pandemic, Clare completed additional bereavement training with baby loss charity Abigail’s Footsteps as part of her degree and fundraises for Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity.

She said: “I needed emergency surgery and was discharged the next day, with no-one allowed to be with me. It was a really frightening time and it made me realise how important the words you use are. Sometimes people don’t need fixing – they just need someone to be there and understand what they’re going through.

“I want to help people by being the person I needed – someone who listens, understands and is just there when it matters.”

After leaving teaching, Clare took on a clinical support worker role in maternity while completing an access course, before starting her midwifery degree in 2024.

She said: “I really enjoyed teaching but I got to a point where I knew I needed a better balance and a career that suited me long‑term. Working in maternity just felt right.”

Clare says many of the skills she developed as a teacher have transferred naturally into midwifery.

She said: “Communication and organisation are huge transferable skills. Teaching gives you structure and confidence, and that’s helped me feel more secure as a student midwife.”

Alongside her studies, Clare has written and self-published a practical guide to support student midwives at the start of their training, released ahead of International Day of the Midwife on May 5.

She said: “I wrote the book to help student midwives feel more organised and confident, especially in the early stages of training, because I know how overwhelming it can feel at first.”

She credits her parents and partner with making her career change possible and says her daughter has also been inspired by her journey.

Clare said: “I genuinely couldn’t do this degree without my parents or my partner. They’ve been incredible and my daughter is my biggest inspiration – she now wants to be a midwife too, and I’m so proud of her.”

Clare, who is on track to qualify in 2027, hopes her story will encourage others considering a career change later in life.

She said: “Do your research and make sure you understand your options. There is support out there – student finance and help for parents made a big difference for me.

“If it’s something you really want to do, and it’s going to make you happier in the long run, it’s absolutely worth going for.”

Find out more about studying midwifery at Coventry University and discover Clare’s book. 

Source and image supplied by Coventry University