Lucy Findlay has a job to be proud of: She’s a midwife.
Findlay considers herself lucky. She has a job that she loves, and every day is different: “Every day I am involved in life-changing and life-affirming situations. The people I work for will never forget how I made them feel. Every day I get to see the very best in humanity: love, support, bravery and strength.”
Many people see midwifery as a dream job filled with immensely rewarding daily challenges. However, Findlay also happens to have severe-to-profound hearing loss. Being a deaf midwife has its challenges, but Findlay doesn’t let that stop her from living her passions.
Being a Deaf Midwife
A midwife’s work is highly skilled and involves communication at its heart.
“Some may say surely that could be a good thing, laboring women can be loud!” says Findlay. “But a midwife is also there when a woman can’t get the words out for crying with happiness as she holds her newborn, or in devastation at realizing she never will. A midwife is there when a woman suffers such anxiety she can’t look at you and covers her face with her hands. A midwife is there when a woman cannot speak English and is doing her best to tell you something in what few words she knows.”
How has Findlay overcome what she herself sees as a disability, in order to help these women who need her?
Adapting and Accepting Limitations
The short answer to this question is easy, because she hasn’t exactly overcome it. She has learned to adapt and accept the limitations that being a deaf midwife can pose.
“It’s a busy Monday morning and I’ve popped into the midwives’ office at the hospital to pick up some equipment,” Findlay says. “I am going out to see a lady who had her baby yesterday and she’s had a difficult night. I am keen to get on my way. Then the phone rings. There’s no one else around. I feel a surge of panic, my heart rate increases, and the adrenaline starts pumping. Should I just slip out of the door? No one would know. This is my disability taking control. I am a midwife, I remind myself. Someone may need my help.”
Because of her hearing loss, Findlay has developed a fear of telephones. Many of us with hearing loss can understand this particular phobia. So at times she has to remind herself of her duty of care and
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