Why the future of midwifery must stay human

Zoe Wright, Founder of The Real Birth Company and registered midwife since 2009, shares why the future of midwifery must stay human.

My journey into midwifery began after the birth of my second child. I had the same midwife for both of my pregnancies, and she was completely amazing. The care I received was supportive, personal, and deeply human. I remember thinking, this is how it should feel, and knowing that I wanted to provide the same experience for others. While I was planning the start of my midwifery career, I also had my third baby, again supported by the same midwife, who later became one of my mentors. Looking back, it felt less like a decision and more like a calling. Every day, I am proud that this is what I do.

How midwifery shapes who I am

Midwifery has shaped who I am far beyond my professional role. It has taught me how to listen properly, without rushing to fix or assume. It has taught me to respect that every person brings their own story, values, and perspective into pregnancy and birth. Supporting women, people, and families through some of the most vulnerable and significant moments of their lives gives you a deep sense of perspective and resilience. It changes how you see the world. It makes you more compassionate, more reflective, and more present. It sharpens your understanding of what truly matters.

When innovation and midwifery meet

I don’t think there was a single moment when I realised I was also an innovator. I think I always have been, always trying to find better, clearer ways of doing things. Years ago, I heard something that stayed with me: innovation often comes from the ability to see clearly what others find complex and overwhelming. That doesn’t mean the work itself is simple, but it does mean the vision is.

For me, innovation and midwifery are not separate things. Midwives are autonomous by nature, constantly questioning practice and finding ways to support people to achieve what they want from their care. We are always adapting how we discuss information, how we communicate risk and choice, while keeping evidence, safety, and professional guidance at the centre. Innovation isn’t about replacing midwifery. It’s about strengthening it, extending its reach, and ensuring care remains human, safe, and informed.

Learning from experience

Some of the most important ideas I’ve had have come from moments where care hasn’t worked as well as it should. One experience that has stayed with me was a postnatal home visit with a woman from an East African background who had given birth by caesarean section. She was feeding her baby and was visibly distressed. Her partner was there and spoke more English, but communication was still very limited. I had access to a telephone language line, but it wasn’t effective in that moment.

What stayed with me most was the realisation that they didn’t fully understand why the caesarean had happened. I remember thinking how frightening that must have been: to undergo major surgery, surrounded by people, without really understanding what was happening or why. That moment reinforced the responsibility we have to do better, particularly around communication, access to information, and ensuring every woman can understand and engage with her care.

Why a midwifery lens matters

Having a midwifery lens makes innovation different. We’re not designing solutions from a distance, we’re building them from lived, frontline experience. As midwives, we practise under the Nursing and Midwifery Council Code, which requires us to provide unbiased information that supports informed choice, including the choice to decline care. What we’ve created supports both women and midwives, aligning with practice, evidence, and real-life pressures. It works because it’s built from within practice, not imposed from outside it.

Scaling care without losing humanity

What excites me most about the future of midwifery is the opportunity to scale what midwives already do best: physiology, knowledge, confidence, and advocacy. Digital innovation and global collaboration mean we can reach more women, in more languages, without losing what sits at the heart of midwifery: human connection. Innovation should never replace that. It should protect it, strengthen it, and ensure that every woman, wherever she lives, can experience safe, informed, and dignified care