THE LOVE MAKERS

From wedding officiants to the midwives catching first breaths, we chatted to the Brisbane locals making love happen, all in a day’s work.

By OLIVIA ASHWORTH

Kaitlin Reid Soundtrack to love

A special kind of love exists for your children. So, it’s no wonder that Kaitlin Reid, co-founder and midwife at Kindred Midwifery, Obstetrics & Gynaecology loves love.

“It’s a mixed bag of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum – unpredictable days, early starts and late finishes, being on-call 24/7, celebration and at times heartache, but overall, it’s the most rewarding thing I could ever imagine doing,” Kaitlin says. The thing that makes it all worth it is love.

“There is love in every single story. It’s hearing a baby’s heartbeat for the first time after a long fertility journey, it’s people learning to feed their babies and settling them into life with a newborn. The ones that are really special for me are being there to see families grow, welcoming a sibling into the world when I’ve been there with them for their previous birth/s too.”

Of course, in all jobs there are challenges, and for Kaitlin, those don’t go unnoticed. Supporting families through complicated pregnancies and births can be difficult, as well as dealing with pregnancy and infant loss.

“But that’s part of the job, and my role to support families experiencing these difficult times is as rewarding as those who are filled with happiness and celebration,” she says. “The love is the same; the love they need, the love they have for their babies, it’s as real and as raw as in any other family.”

It’s often said that certain songs can take you back to moments you cherish most. Inspired by all things love this month, we took to Instagram and asked our Style readers: what song means the most to you and why?

Gypsy by Fleetwood Mac. It was the last song played at my grandpa’s funeral – Maddison

American Pie by Don McLean. So many core childhood memories singing this in the car – Erin

Keep

on Loving You

by REO Speedwagon. It was my wedding song! – Penny

Jacinta Slater

If you’re diving headfirst into wedding planning, it’s arguable that there’s nothing more important than finding the person who makes it all happen, ticking the boxes and working through the paperwork to make that special ‘I do’ official. Jacinta Slater, marriage celebrant at Just Hitched By Jacinta, has been working in the world of weddings since 2009.

“You get to venture out to breathtaking venues, work with amazing couples and vendors, and celebrate love,” she says. “What’s not to like about that working environment?”

Weekends are usually dedicated to the weddings themselves – checking legal paperwork, calming nerves, pumping up the crowd, and of course delivering the final ceremony.

“When you get to know every couple so well, you ride every emotion with them,” she says. “There will always be one moment where I have to catch my breath. It’s an honour that so many couples trust me to deliver their ceremony and it’s a privilege to orchestrate such an important milestone in people’s lives”.

Yellow Brick Road by Angus & Julie Stone. It was the first song that made me fall in love with music – Steele