Tiyarna - Nurturing Newborns
Tiyarna Lewis
Midwife for NHS Hospitals and BCU Lecturer
BSc (Hons) Midwifery
Tiyarna always wanted to be a midwife, but she felt that others doubted her ability to succeed because of the area she grew up in and her dyslexia diagnosis. Being in a supportive environment at BCU allowed Tiyarna to realise her potential. She now has her dream job, supporting mothers through childbirth.
“From a young age, I would tell people that I wanted to be a midwife. People would laugh at me; it was clear they thought that I wasn't smart enough or that people like me didn't have successful careers. I grew up in a deprived area, where few people progressed to higher education, so I understand it's difficult to break out of that cycle and believe you can succeed, but I did.
I chose midwifery as I am a caring individual, and I want to make a difference. Having a baby is a life changing event in a person's life and I wanted the honour of being a part of that. As someone who constantly felt put down, I wanted the opportunity to uplift others and empower women through this transitional phase. BCU values community, individuality and caring for one another. These are all values I aligned with and wanted to carry through my life as a midwife, so I knew it was the right place for me.
My journey to becoming a student midwife wasn't an easy one. I was diagnosed with dyslexia and bullied because of it in school. However, I knew this didn't have to get in the way of becoming a midwife, I just needed to adapt my learning style to something that suits me.
BCU's midwifery course taught me that I was capable of becoming a midwife. The course is 50% practical and 50% theory and whilst the theory was still tough for me, I was able to understand it by putting it into practice during practical and placements.
During my course, I made the most of BCU's Skills Practice and Care Enhancement (SPACE) facility. SPACE is an innovative practice area all students can access outside of lecture time to use equipment and resources to practice a wide range of skills in a safe, welcoming and supportive environment. This allowed me to be confident and competent in midwifery skills in preparation for my time on placement. I was also lucky enough to do an elective placement abroad to see how maternity services operate in other parts of the world. This helped shape the practitioner I wanted to become.
I qualified as a midwife in 2020. My current role consists of providing Antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care to women. One of the highlights of my job is receiving cards from families I have helped through childbirth, something as simple as a 'thank you' makes everything I went through to get here worth it.
I am now also a midwifery lecturer and work part time in the hospital doing what I love the most - delivering babies and supporting families. Others made me think I wasn't capable of completing a university degree, but look at me now, I'm passing on my experiences to students so we can continue helping families during the most important times in their lives.
If I had to give one piece of advice, I would say surround yourself with successful people who will uplift you. BCU is full of people that saw my potential.
I refused to let my dyslexia or background decide my future, instead I let my drive and passion define who I am.”
