Yasmin Abuayed

Life before City St George's

What were you doing before you came to study at City St George's?

I am an engineering graduate. My introduction to the birth world was as a doula, so I’m not actually a midwife, but I am taking the course because I'm opening a birth centre in the United Arab Emirates and trying to bring a wider scope of midwifery care to the region for the first time.

How did you develop an interest in your course and why did you choose to study this course?

The Optimal Birth elective module initially attracted me to the course because I wanted to learn what might be needed, best practices, and what to avoid. I also had been in contact with one of the lecturers on the course, which is how I came across it and applied.

As the course looks at maternal health from a global perspective, it is useful as I am planning to implement the knowledge I gain from the course elsewhere. It is important to understand what other countries are doing because having knowledge of issues they have faced, and how they overcame them, will help us to understand what to implement in our practice.

Studying at City St George's

How have you found the teaching and facilities on your course?

I came from an engineering background and was educated in the US, so it’s all very different. It has been a learning curve for me, but it has been nice to be introduced to another system. The assessments and essays are often written tasks and subjective, whereas I’ve had more experience with exams and right and wrong answers.

Learning in a hybrid format has been great. As I live in the UAE, I’m a couple hours ahead, so I tend to have my lectures and seminars in the evening which fits into my day quite well. The teaching method has been very interactive and you are able to watch the recordings of the sessions afterwards.

When you attend the lectures or seminars in real time it energises you to hear that everyone has the same passionate mentality; even if you are a bit worried about the current things you’re facing, having that support and camaraderie with classmates and lecturers really helps.

Future plans

How will these experiences help you with your future career?

The course has been providing a broad look at different practices and a deeper understanding why the birth landscape has shifted so much over generations, and the role politics plays in a woman’s experience. This knowledge along with learned practicalities focused on what is best for women, midwives, and society will be useful opening my own birth centre.

What motivated you to switch careers?

It’s important for me to ensure women have autonomy over their births and a way to increase this to my region is to introduce midwifery-led care through a birth centre. Birth is such a life changing experience, if you’re bombarded with information and you’re not aware of what’s going on it can really change the experience.

If you’ve been the decision maker throughout the process of birth, you’ll feel more empowered and you’ll be able to take that forward into your parenting and the rest of your life. Even if the experience doesn’t go exactly as you had planned, being a part of the decision making process will make such a big difference.

What would be your advice to anyone considering studying this course?

If you really want to learn more, go for it! I’ve gained a lot more from the course than I had expected, which has been amazing. The hybrid format makes it so easy to join and connect with others. Even if the timings of the sessions don’t match your schedule, you can always watch the recordings at a more convenient time.

The staff really are there for you and will support you throughout your studies. This has made it even easier for me as I’ve been able to fit it around my daily activities and life because it’s so flexible.