Sisters of mercy

Nurses are often described as the backbone of the medical profession. Highly skilled and hardworking, they often deal with life or death situations that most of us hope never to encounter in a lifetime. So why do they do it?

Midwife Alison Starr, 28, is ready to tell the world that she has the best job in the world.

“There is nothing better than the look on a woman’s face when she holds her child for the first time,” Alison smiles.

“I work with a great team and our priority is to make sure that women have the best birthing experience they could possibly have. Being part of that experience is a huge buzz for everyone involved.”

Growing up in Walla Walla, a small country town near Albury in NSW, Alison says she always wanted to be a nurse. She completed her degree in Canberra and worked as a general nurse for two years before her husband Matthew was transferred to Queensland by the Australian Defence Force. Ready for a new challenge, Alison took the opportunity to study for a diploma in midwifery.

“With midwifery, you are looking after well women who are doing something that is a normal part of a woman’s life,” she explains. “To follow them from the beginning and share in their happiness as they watch their bellies grow... it’s very exciting.”

In 2003, she and Matthew moved to Sydney, where Alison found the job of her dreams at the Royal Hospital for Women. “When I first stepped on to the labour ward it was so inspiring. Women only choose one or two people to be with them when they have a baby. It is such a precious moment in life and we get to be there with them to share this experience.”

The rapport Alison has with her expectant mothers is something she cherishes. “I love walking into the birthing centre and saying, ‘Fancy seeing you here!’ After months of preparing for the birth together, there is a special bond that stays forever.”

Of course every job has its downside and for midwifery it is when something goes tragically wrong, such as a miscarriage or stillbirth. “A lot of people say, ‘Gosh, you must have some really sad moments’, but that’s like once or twice a year, not often. The low parts of my job are really low; the majority of the times are really high.”

After delivering hundreds of babies, does Alison still get emotional at a birth? “Totally,” she admits. “It’s such an adrenaline rush, especially when the fathers cry – that sets us all off every single time. Or if the mother has had a really tough time and then at the end is overcome by the emotion and wonder of the whole experience, you just cry with them.”

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