Nature and nurture

For the Grant women, maternal health and UTS are as much a part of their lives as family lunches and candle-making.

Mother and daughter duo Lorraine Grant and Hannah Clark (nee Grant) are both practising midwives and UTS graduates.

Grant, who had spent most of her adult life working in customer service and natural medicine, was one of the first students to undertake the direct entry Bachelor of Midwifery degree when it began in 2005. The three-year program enables graduates to register as a midwife without having to first complete a nursing degree.

“I had always wanted to be a midwife since I was young, but I didn’t want to study nursing. So when the direct entry degree came along, I jumped on it.

“I chose UTS because they were the only one doing the direct entry program,” explains the 53-year-old mother of three and grandmother of four.   

Today she is a group practice midwife in Ryde’s stand-alone birth unit where she guides women through labour and delivery without the direction of doctors or obstetricians. “Working this way gives me the ultimate job satisfaction.

“The research shows that having a known midwife at your birth has better outcomes. Knowing our women and following them through a life-changing event is very special.

Midwifery students in one of UTS's Clinical Practice Laboratories. Photo by: Anna Zhu

“I always say to my women when I book them in, ‘It’s my job to give you all the information you need, but its unto you to use it. Knowledge is power.”

Clark (now aged 27) began her studies the year after her mother, enrolling in UTS’s Bachelor of Nursing.

While Clark admits “mum talked me into studying at UTS”, it’s not the only reason she chose the university. “Mum was always talking about how interesting the lectures were and how you’ve got to ‘get your hands dirty’ working with real-life patients. Plus, my mother-in-law is also a nurse, and she always says that UTS students get a lot of graduate positions. UTS is a very well-directed, focused university that makes good nurses.

“In fact, there are lots of midwives and nurses in the family – we’ve got my mum’s sister-in-law, my aunty, even my mother-in-law and my husband. Everyone in our family’s worked in the health industry!” affirms Clark.

Two years ago, after spending four years working as a registered nurse, Clark returned to the university to complete a Graduate Diploma in Midwifery.

Today, she works as a Midwife at Blacktown Hospital, but aspires to follow in her mother’s footsteps. “The only reason I’m still in the hospital setting is due to my lack of experience – I’ve been a midwife for only two years. My ultimate goal would be to work where mum works.”

The pair, who live only 10 minutes apart, agree working in the same field gives them an endless supply of conversation.

“We often get in trouble at the dinner table,” laughs Grant. “And Hannah always thinks she’s better than me!”

“But it’s nice,” adds Clark. “You kind of debrief with each other when you’ve had a bad day.”

And with three daughters of her own, Clark wouldn’t be surprised if the family tradition continues.

“They like everything about nursing. They’ve got nursing kits and their first dollhouse was a doll hospital. My eldest, Ella, often says ‘I’m so thirsty I’m going to dehydrate in a moment’ and she’s six!”