BIRTH TRAUMA SPECIALIST
My Career
Path
My name is Jane Cleary and I have dedicated the past 30 years to working as a Midwife within the NHS.
I am proud to have held my ultimate ‘Dream Role’ as the first Consultant Midwife at University Hospital Sussex NHS trust.
My career has been focused on the collaboration between families and staff, encouraging a ‘walking in each others shoes’ approach. This allows us to deliver understanding and personalised care to the families we serve within the NHS.
In 2004 I established a Birth Stories Service which continues to thrive today, acknowledging the crucial need for women and their partners to process their experiences surrounding pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period as a means to move forward in their lives.
This experience shaped my career deepening my understainding of what truly matters to women and their families in ensuring that they feel safe. I became passionate about empowering and advocating for families within the system.
I took on the role of Practice Educator for staff and students sharing my insights through women’s experiences and immersive study days that placed women and families at the heart of our care. ​
To ensure that staff can provide the best care, it is essential that they feel supported as well. Therefore I took the role of Supervisor, offering individual and group psychological support, guidance and coaching to help them in their work.
In my final role as the first Consultant Midwife at University Hospital Sussex, I was able to integrate all my skills while working closely with families to support their mental well-being, advocate for their needs and create personalised birth plans,
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I continue to my work at the NHS in Sussex as a Midwife and professional midwifery advocate. I am thrilled to have established a Specialist practice in Hove as well as online to provide a comprehensive trauma support package for women, families and Maternity professionals.
I am happily married and live by the sea in Hove with our cute poodle dog Bill. We have two wonderful adult daughters who are off exploring their own adventures in life.
I love swimming in the sea and have been doing it year round for the last 5 years. There's something invigorating about cold water swimming (or more like bobbing!) Although I do feel a little nervous during the chilly months of January and February!