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		<title>Newly Qualified Midwife With No NHS Job in the UK? Considering Independent Practice?</title>
		<link>https://theselfmademidwife.com/newly-qualified-midwife-uk-job/</link>
					<comments>https://theselfmademidwife.com/newly-qualified-midwife-uk-job/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Linda Lilwall]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 19:14:03 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://theselfmademidwife.com/?p=250850</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Across parts of the UK, some newly qualified midwives are completing their training, registering with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and finding that substantive posts within the National Health Service are limited in their area. If you are a newly qualified midwife with no NHS job secured, you are not alone. For many, NHS employment [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
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		<title>Why More Information Isn’t Helping — and What Creates Clarity Instead</title>
		<link>https://theselfmademidwife.com/clarity-before-independent-midwifery/</link>
					<comments>https://theselfmademidwife.com/clarity-before-independent-midwifery/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Linda Lilwall]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2026 11:54:55 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Becoming an independent midwife]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://theselfmademidwife.com/?p=250807</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[When midwives begin thinking about independent practice, the first instinct is usually to research. You read everything.You listen carefully.You look at what others are doing.You try to understand regulation properly. That’s not avoidance.That’s professionalism. But there comes a point where more information doesn’t make you feel clearer.It makes you feel heavier. And that’s the moment [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
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		<title>Practising Differently Doesn’t Require a Dramatic Exit</title>
		<link>https://theselfmademidwife.com/practising-differently-without-a-dramatic-exit/</link>
					<comments>https://theselfmademidwife.com/practising-differently-without-a-dramatic-exit/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Linda Lilwall]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Feb 2026 22:00:53 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Becoming an independent midwife]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://theselfmademidwife.com/?p=250726</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[ A quieter kind of shift If you are considering a transition from NHS midwife to independent midwife in the UK, it can sometimes feel as though the only option is a decisive break. Resign. Leave. Start again. But for many experienced midwives, the shift is rarely dramatic. It is thoughtful. It builds gradually. Midwifery is [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
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			</item>
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		<title>This Isn’t About Leaving the NHS &#8211; It’s About How You Want to Practise</title>
		<link>https://theselfmademidwife.com/how-you-want-to-practise-midwife/</link>
					<comments>https://theselfmademidwife.com/how-you-want-to-practise-midwife/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Linda Lilwall]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Feb 2026 18:16:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://theselfmademidwife.com/?p=250658</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[There comes a point in many midwives’ careers where the question quietly shifts. Not “Can I keep going?”But “Can I continue practising like this and still recognise myself as a professional?” For most midwives who begin to consider independent practice, the decision doesn’t arrive as a dramatic moment. It develops over time &#8211; through experience, [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
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		<title>Why the Route You Take Matters More Than Leaving the NHS Itself</title>
		<link>https://theselfmademidwife.com/independent-midwives-need-a-route/</link>
					<comments>https://theselfmademidwife.com/independent-midwives-need-a-route/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Linda Lilwall]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Jan 2026 17:36:53 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Becoming an independent midwife]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://theselfmademidwife.com/?p=250609</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Leaving the NHS is not the hardest part of professional transition. What comes after is. Many midwives reach a point where the decision to leave feels inevitable. The NHS system no longer fits. The compromises are too great. The cost to wellbeing, values, or family life has become unsustainable. At that point, leaving can feel [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
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			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
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		<title>The Current Landscape of Private and Independent Midwifery and Why I’ve Never Looked Back</title>
		<link>https://theselfmademidwife.com/the-current-landscape-of-private-and-independent-midwifery/</link>
					<comments>https://theselfmademidwife.com/the-current-landscape-of-private-and-independent-midwifery/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Linda Lilwall]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Jul 2025 10:44:27 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://lindalilwall.com/?p=1289</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Independent midwifery in the UK is no longer a fringe movement. It’s a quiet revolution, one being led by midwives who’ve had enough. Enough of compromising their care, their calling, and their well-being for rota gaps and unrealistic workloads. And I get it. Because I was one of them. I Gave My Life to the [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
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			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
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		<title>Climbing Your Own Mountain: The Journey from NHS Midwifery to Independent Practice</title>
		<link>https://theselfmademidwife.com/climbing-your-own-mountain/</link>
					<comments>https://theselfmademidwife.com/climbing-your-own-mountain/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Linda Lilwall]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 03 Mar 2025 17:10:44 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://lindalilwall.com/?p=1193</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[A few days ago, I took on the hardest physical challenge I can remember, climbing Pen y Fan, the highest peak in southern Britain. Six hours of sheer grit, self-doubt, and persistence. And somewhere along that ascent, between gasping for breath and questioning my sanity, I realised just how much this climb mirrors the journey [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://theselfmademidwife.com/climbing-your-own-mountain/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
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		<title>The Hidden Costs of Midwifery: Compassion Fatigue, Vicarious Trauma, Burnout &#038; Bullying in a System on Its Knees</title>
		<link>https://theselfmademidwife.com/the-hidden-costs-of-midwifery/</link>
					<comments>https://theselfmademidwife.com/the-hidden-costs-of-midwifery/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Linda Lilwall]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 17 Feb 2025 13:36:01 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://lindalilwall.com/?p=1171</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Midwifery is a profession deeply rooted in care, advocacy, and empathy. Midwives stand alongside families in some of the most transformative, joyful, and sometimes devastating moments of their lives. But what happens when the very act of caring becomes unsustainable? In an NHS system stretched beyond its limits, midwives are experiencing compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://theselfmademidwife.com/the-hidden-costs-of-midwifery/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
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		<title>The Top 7 Myths about Independent Midwifery &#8230; and the Truth Behind Them</title>
		<link>https://theselfmademidwife.com/the-top-7-myths-about-independent-midwifery/</link>
					<comments>https://theselfmademidwife.com/the-top-7-myths-about-independent-midwifery/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Linda Lilwall]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Jan 2025 13:00:50 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://lindalilwall.com/?p=730</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[As midwives, we’re trained to weigh risks every day. It’s part of the job. Yet, when it comes to stepping away from the NHS and transitioning into independent midwifery, fear and uncertainty often take over. Stories of financial struggles, isolation, and unreliable insurance can keep you tethered to a system that may no longer serve [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
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			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
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		<title>Why We Need Independent Midwives: Meeting the Growing Demand for Personalised Maternity Care</title>
		<link>https://theselfmademidwife.com/why-we-need-independent-midwives/</link>
					<comments>https://theselfmademidwife.com/why-we-need-independent-midwives/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Linda Lilwall]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Dec 2024 11:09:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://theselfmademidwife.com/?p=302</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[In recent years, the landscape of maternity care has been undergoing significant scrutiny and transformation. The World Health Organization (WHO) has taken a definitive stance, advocating for a shift from fragmented, risk-oriented models to midwifery-led care. Their global position paper, Transitioning to Midwifery Models of Care, emphasises the need for equitable, person-centered, and high-quality care [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
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