The coronavirus pandemic put life into perspective for many but for one Neilston mum, it inspired a change of career.Kirsty Johnstone’s experience of giving birth during the crisis has embarked on a journey to retrain as a midwife, spurred on by her own experience and the care she received.The 28-year-old Renfrewshire woman is now juggling her first year of midwifery studies at the Paisley-based University of the West of Scotland.Kirsty, mum to three-year-old Charlie and Ella, one, spoke of her experiences to mark International Day of the Midwife yesterday (Thursday).She said: “I’m not quite sure how I do it.
Lots of studying once the kids are in bed. I enjoy a challenge!”Before the pandemic, Kirsty worked as a travel agent for a small Glasgow-based company specialising in world tours.But she told how she was headed for a new destination herself after her pregnancy, saying: “It was March 2020 and I was 20 weeks pregnant with my daughter when I was furloughed.
While it gave me the chance to relax a bit and enjoy my pregnancy, it was also an uncertain time both from a job perspective and being pregnant in a world pandemic.”When her daughter was born in August 2020, Kirsty began maternity leave before being furloughed again in 2021.She said: “I made the decision just after Ella was born to get myself a proper career.