I am an American citizen although my accent is a little British as well as American. In 1974, I moved to England and married a British 'subject'.

As a child, I had a fascination for pregnancy and childbirth but knew I never wanted to be a doctor. I loved chemistry and biology in school but could think of no profession I wanted where these could be used. Then in my first year in Britain I met a midwife and realised that midwifery was the only career for me. The training came many years later.

I had my 3 children in hospital and was cared for by midwives. The midwife who was in charge of my care with my first labor was so cold and unfriendly that I was determined to be a better sort of midwife. My philosophy regarding midwifery is one of care, friendship, understanding, honesty, education, and co-operation. I feel that a close rapport with my clients can help bring about a good outcome for both sides.

In 1991, I commenced training as a midwife and began practising in Ipswich Hospital immediately on completion of my training. During my training and employment, I was present at hundreds of births. However, I personally took the care of over 120 normal labors and deliveries and assisted at hundreds more. Daily, I cared for pre-natal, post-natal and looked after 1 or 2 women in labor. I was often required to attend and assist at C-Sections and instrumental vaginal births. I was also required to teach medical students and some qualified doctors to perform normal deliveries. I taught all midwifery skills to student midwives. In my final year there I was required to be Midwife-in-Charge with all the responsibilities that called for.

I also worked in Neonatal Intensive Care for six months in order to acquire additional experience. This enabled me to build on my confidence in the care of the new-born. I worked with premature and sick babies with a variety of infections and conditions, This gave me a much greater understanding of the 'normal baby' and the 'sick baby'.

In March 1997, I moved back to Texas, with my British family, to be near my American family who I have been away from for 23 years. I contacted one of Texas' busiest midwives on arrival and she allowed me to follow her practice in order to 'learn the ropes' in a private midwifery practice in Texas. She was good enough to allow me to practice through her in order to gain the home birth experience I need to become documented in the state of Texas.

Since observing and participating in midwifery care here in Texas, I have witnessed that the out-of-hospital environment is, by far, superior for the course of a normal pregnancy and labor and to the family unit as a whole. Having been on 'both sides of the fence', I am now totally committed to the out-of-hospital, midwifery led care for normal pregnancies, deliveries and the postpartum period.