Harriet Sage-Femme (midwife)
Woman, mother and midwife.
I am passionate about pregnancy and birth and caring for mothers along their journey to motherhood. As a midwife, I believe in being an advocate for the women in my care, articulating their choices whilst ensuring their safety, health and well being of mother and baby.
I am a Swiss national, born to English and Dutch parents. I have lived in several multicultural European cities and got to exchange with people from the 4 corners of the world .
I'm married and have two pre-school aged children.
I'm fluent in French and English and my spoken German is evaluated at B1.
My career path
After a Bachelor's degree in Biotechnology in Sion, I went to Ireland to do a Ph.D. in order to broaden my horizons and live abroad. This experience enabled me to develop personally and to realise that I would flourish better in a profession with a more social inclination. After carrying out a great deal of research while finishing my doctorate, I realised that midwifery was the perfect career path for me.
My decision to train in the UK rather than Switzerland was motivated by the particular features of training in the NHS. In fact, it enabled me to become involved with many cultures around the world and to immerse myself in a society where physiological pregnancy and birth are promoted.
In England, midwives care for all women from the beginning of their pregnancy until mum and baby not longer require midwifery care (between 10 days old to 6 weeks of age). If a pregnancy a woman is healthy and the pregnancy is straightforward, the midwife is the lead carer. This allowed me as student midwife to develop my autonomy and work with other professionals as part of a multidisciplinary team. In addition, by choosing to do a Master's in midwifery, I was able to further develop an analytical and critical mind, as well as my knowledge in clinical research. It is these specific skills, which are important for a modern midwife to support and care women and their families. Alongside my studies, I had the privilege of doing some voluntary work for a few days in the Jungle (Calais) and camp in Dunkerk.
After completing my training and being awarded a MSc. Midwifery with distinction, I was employed for 2 years by the Hôpital Riviera-Chablais. After the birth of my first child, I was then hired by the Haute Ecole de Santé Vaud (HESAV) in Lausanne as a scientific collaborator. I then joined the Bern Fachhochschule as deputy head of the midwifery course at Master's level for a duration of 18 months.
After the birth of my second child I realised I needed to put into practice what I preach and find a better balance between being a mother whilst still be "me" and do what I truly love, and BE a midwife. As a results, in parallel to a small percentage at HESAV as Head of a research project, I am an independent midwife, caring for women and their families in the canton of Fribourg.
My vision of midwifery care
The midwife adopts a personalised approach, providing women centered and evidence based care. A midwife is the woman's advocate, and ensures the woman receives the required care whilst promoting health.