As part of our 50 Years of Girls at Rugby School Celebrations, we are meeting with some of our female Rugbeians to discuss their careers and time at Rugby. In this first feature, we speak with Obstetrician Hannah Fodden (nee Ribbans), who reflects on the experiences that shaped her journey from The Close to a career in medicine.

Could you please tell us a little bit about yourself and what lead you to pursue a career as an obstetrician?

My name's Hannah Ribbans - married name is Foden - and I'm currently an ST6 registrar in obstetrics and gynaecology in the Northwest Region.

Going back to the beginning, I was always interested in from a very young age and the greatest influence on that decision was my parents. This didn’t have the same impact on my sisters, who couldn't think of anything worse than doing medicine or anything even remotely close to it. For me, though, it was just always what I wanted to do. My dad is an orthopaedic surgeon, my mum is a nurse, and it was just the general dinner time chitchat that shaped my interest.

The life he seemed to lead, and that they led together as a couple, made me feel I couldn't image doing anything else. So, they were certainly the strongest influence on why I went down the science and medical route. Later, however, that shifted into a desire to do obstetrics and gynaecology. That certainly wasn’t what I set out specialise in when I first went to medical school, but it came through learning about the different pathways in medicine, socialising with people that spoke positively about the field, and gaining experience on placements during med school and in my foundation years. That’s really what led me down the path of obstetrics and gynaecology – interestingly against my parents’ advice.

What do you enjoy most within your career?

I love obstetrics and gynaecology – we tend to abbreviate it to obs and gynae. What I enjoy most is that you get a genuine mix of both medical work and surgery. It’s not purely one or the other, and that variety really appeals to me.

You also get to operate quite early. As an obstetrician you’re performing caesarean sections almost from the start, which I found very appealing compared to some surgical specialties where you must wait years and compete with more senior doctors before you’re allowed much hands-on experience. In obs and gynae, you operate a lot from early on, which I’ve always enjoyed.

I also love, and I know it sounds a bit strange, that in obstetrics you’re often working with well patients. Pregnancy isn’t an illness; it’s a physiological process. Of course, some women do become very unwell during pregnancy, but overall it’s a normal process. Most patients are highly motivated and want to look after themselves for the sake of their pregnancy, which I find rewarding. By contrast, in some other specialties you can feel like you’re dealing with a revolving door of patients whose poor health is linked to ongoing life choices, and that can be quite soul-destroying. You don’t tend to see that as much in obstetrics.

That said, it’s probably the most extreme ‘high-low’ specialty you can choose. I may be supporting a family through one of the most joyful experiences of their lives - the birth of a child - and then, five minutes later, I might have to deliver the most unimaginable news. That yo-yo effect is really tough. But thankfully, the pendulum swings far more often towards being part of people’s happiest moments, and it’s a privilege to share in that. It’s pretty incredible, really.

What was the biggest challenge you’ve faced within your career, and how did you overcome it?

When I first heard that question, I thought you probably meant a workplace experience, but actually, for me, the biggest challenges have been the pinch points in my career, such as sitting my postgraduate exams and making major career shifts.

I’ve been fortunate to have a family, and I had my two eldest children quite early on in my training. That meant I was preparing for postgraduate exams with very young children at home, and that was by far the most difficult period - trying to balance the day-to-day job, raising children, and then revising between about nine o’clock and midnight every night.

The best piece of advice I ever received was from a colleague in the same position, a parent with young children, who told me: “Just do it. You’ve got to do it once, and you owe it to your family to only put them through it once.” That really stuck with me and became my biggest motivator to push through and get those exams done.

It was really tough, though. For about six months afterwards my kids didn’t really want to know me, because they were so used to me not being around. That was hard to come to terms with.

Thankfully, things are a little different now, many people do get more than one attempt. But my advice would always be when you walk into that exam hall, or walk onto the close for a match, leave absolutely everything out there. Give it your all. That way, whatever the outcome, you’ll never look back with regret.

Whilst here at Rugby, were there any teachers or members of staff who had a lasting impact on you, and what are some of your favourite memories?

Yes, 100% there are definitely teachers I have such fond memories of and still loosely keep in touch with. The first person who comes to mind is definitely Lara Hampton. I was incredibly keen on sport and still am - it’s always been a huge part of my life. She was so supportive, not only in helping me take part in all the team sports at Rugby, but also in encouraging me when I became Levee for girls sport in my final year. She was a real cheerleader for me in that role.

I was also a very keen dancer throughout my life, and she was incredibly supportive of me continuing with that as well, rather than feeling I had to stick only with the traditional sports Rugby offered. I used to have a dance teacher come from home for private lessons, and afterwards I’d head straight into team practices at lunchtime. Lara would always be there with a banana because she worried about my nutrition. She knew I hadn’t had a proper lunch break, so she wouldn’t let me join netball training until I’d reluctantly eaten it. It was her way of showing how much she cared about our welfare, and I’ll always remember that. She’s just an awesome person.

Another person who had a huge impact was the Reverend. I know he has since left, and I left a message in his farewell book, but I have so much respect for the way he managed to speak every day to 800 students and still connect with each of us on some level, despite Rugby’s diversity and multi-faith community.

He also married me and my husband, as well as my sister and her husband, and he made the service a real highlight of the day. I think that’s a testament to his talent, so often people say you just need to “get through the church bit” before the reception, but with our wedding everyone said the service was one of the best parts. That was all down to him: he had a way of making it fun, meaningful, and relatable to everyone.

This year marks 50 years since girls joined Rugby School, which is incredible. How do you feel that your time at Rugby has shaped who you are today?

I think it’s had a huge impact on me as a person. What Rugby really taught me was how to pack as much as possible into life. Once you leave and “life admin” becomes a thing, it’s harder to juggle, but at school, all the mundane stuff was taken care of, and you just lived at full tilt.

It’s exhausting even thinking back to how much we managed to fit into a single day - lessons, training at lunchtime, prep in the evenings, socialising, and then I’d often go for a run around the Close between 9 and 10 p.m. I don’t know how I had the energy for it! But that rhythm taught me to make the most of every day, and I think I’m still guilty of that now. I’ll often say yes to too many things but that attitude of filling my days definitely comes from Rugby.

It wasn’t just about time management, though. The friendships I made at Rugby have shaped me just as much. They are still my absolute best friends. They’re the godmothers to my children and they’re still my “ride or dies” to this day.

What advice would you give to girls currently at Rugby, or those wanting to join?

I feel like I might have touched on this in my last answer, but I think my advice would be: be a “yes” person. Those five years give you the most incredible opportunity to fill your days and say yes to everything.

When you leave, real life, things like gym memberships, cost, time, and life admin all gets in the way. At Rugby, so many opportunities are right there for you, and you don’t have to think about the practicalities. You’re young, free, and in an environment where you can just try things without barriers. So, my advice would be: say yes, try everything, and make the most of it.

Once you leave, you simply won’t get that same breadth of experience again. So, while you’re there, just throw yourself into it and fill your days as much as you can.

It’s also something unique to being at a boarding school. At a day school, you’re often limited by whether your parents can get you to activities, you’re competing with siblings’ schedules and relying on lifts. At Rugby, you don’t have those constraints. You can say yes to everything - tennis, cross-country, drama, music - and just do it all. That’s a really special opportunity, and my advice would be to seize it completely.

Looking back, is there anything you wish you had known during your time here?
I wish I’d understood the sacrifices my parents made to send us to a place like Rugby.

You’re right that, as a student cohort, we were very grounded, and I still see that in my girlfriends now. Despite having had a top-class education, they really do appreciate the opportunities they were given. But now, with a family of my own, I often wonder: how on earth do you manage to send your children to a school like this?

I wish I’d realised at the time what was going on in the background to make it possible. In my friendship group, it wasn’t taken for granted - our parents were really hardworking, often self-made, professional people who put everything into our education. And I couldn’t be more grateful. I’m sure I wouldn’t have had the career I have now without the education Rugby gave me.

Of course, you want kids to be kids, and at that age you can’t fully appreciate what’s happening behind the scenes. But looking back, I can see the sacrifices my dad made on a professional level, and both my mum and dad together, to give us that opportunity. Knowing that now, it feels extraordinary.

What does it mean to you to be part of Rugby’s History, especially in this 50th anniversary for girls at the School?

I always have a smile on my face when I think about my time at Rugby. Of course, there’s a touch of rose-tinted nostalgia - I’m sure there were moments that weren’t perfect - but overall, I’m incredibly grateful to be part of the School’s history and community.

I still love reading about what’s going on at Rugby, and I want to keep visiting. I think that’s a real testament to the place, that you want to return, to run the muddy “Crick Run” again, to bring your children to see it. My husband, who didn’t have the same kind of education, can’t quite understand it - for him, school was simply a means to an end. But for me it’s much more than that, and that makes Rugby very special.

I’m also very grateful to all the women who came before me, who sacrificed a great deal to create these opportunities. We didn’t have to fight to be there, but they did, and it’s important to remember that history. It’s good that we’ve reached a stage where it feels unthinkable to have to make a career choice based on your sex. Yet even in medicine, I’ve met older consultants who had to dig deep to be taken seriously. They carry the weight of those experiences, sometimes even a chip on their shoulder, because they had to work so hard for recognition.

Thankfully, I haven’t faced that myself. In obstetrics and gynaecology, around 80% of trainees are now women, so it’s a female-heavy specialty, which is wonderful. But I think it’s always important to reflect on those who made that possible.

It’s also striking how different my husband’s and my own secondary education experiences were. For him, school was just school. When I think about Rugby, I don’t immediately think of the lessons - though of course the education was excellent - but of the whole chapter of my life that it shaped. It gave me my best friends, it shaped my identity, and it played a huge part in making me who I am today. The same is true for my sisters. We were all very, very lucky.