A male midwife has shared exactly why is he loves his job and how he has found it fitting into an industry that is usually associated with women. Mark Smart is a midwife on the induction ward at the Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran. He is one of only a handful of male midwives in Wales and feels a great deal of pride in the work he does.
Mark had over 25 years of experience as a nurse before entering the field, but there were a number of barriers he had to face, as men were not even allowed into the profession until recently. The Sex Discrimination (Midwives) Order 1983 lifted gender restrictions within the profession but male midwives are still relatively uncommon.
Mark became a midwife in 2005 and despite being outnumbered, his gender has not stopped him from making the most of his career. He said: “I’ve got to be honest: everyone’s fantastic here. My colleagues, the management, I’m just one of the team, I’m just one of the girls. Deep down, you’re still a nurse even though you’re a midwife. You’re still a nurse and I just like the nursing side of it because you’re looking after the mum but there is also a baby to consider as well. The most rewarding thing is the job satisfaction of seeing someone coming in who is nervous, you’ve put them at their ease, you’ve had a nice, quick induction, they deliver quickly and they go home with this baby that’s absolutely perfect.
