Emma Medeiros had always wanted to be a midwife but the cost and lack of direct entry into a midwifery course at that time in England put it firmly out of her reach. That all changed in 2008 when the former restauranteur moved to New Zealand with her husband and had her second child under the care of a New Zealand midwife. 

“I had three different midwives when I was in labour with my first child in the UK. As each eight hour shift finished there’d be a new face. In New Zealand I had a midwife that was with me right through my entire pregnancy, so I thought ‘hold the phone’ I have to do this.”

After two years residency Emma qualified for a student loan, applied for the Otago Polytechnic Midwifery qualification and was accepted.

“I really liked the online aspects of the programme. As a mother with two young children to look after, not much family support and a husband with a career, it gave me the flexibility to plan my study around my family. I could be an active member of my class while watching my children play outside which I would not have been able to do in a classroom.”

Emma is now working as a midwife in Dunedin. “The programme absolutely prepared me for the job. It’s a really practical qualification, we were working clinically straight away and really encouraged to be hands on. Being a midwife has affected every single part of my life, it's changed the way I feel about being a mother and I feel like I’m a much fuller person.”