Midwife Popular on TikTok Says ‘Jealous’ Colleague Bullied Her

A midwife who became famous on TikTok for her motivational videos about women giving birth was fired. She claimed that her “jealous” coworkers were responsible for her dismissal. 

Lara Basini-Millar, who goes by the nickname midwifemillar on social media, claims that a “clique” of other midwives formed a WhatsApp group to discuss her video uploads and that she was the target of a “witch hunt.” Her case against the North Bristol NHS Trust includes a claim of constructive unfair dismissal.

Basini-Millar started posting videos on TikTok two years ago with the goal of inspiring women to have faith in themselves. As a midwife at Bristol’s Southmead Hospital, she has previously been on One Born Every Minute, a show on Channel 4.

In her videos, she talks about being pregnant, giving birth, and how to stand up when you feel ignored. Practical advice is also a focus of the videos. However, the trust’s maternity staff wasted no time in criticizing the videos, claiming they were offensive and tarnished the trust’s reputation.

Ms. Basini-Millar found the WhatsApp group where her coworkers would attack her films. On the forum, they even demanded that she surrender the clothing she wore in her videos—clothes that she had purchased independently and that bore no hospital logo. She finally left in late 2022 after enduring relentless bullying; in the meantime, she worked agency shifts at the hospital and waited to start a new career in London. The accusation against her occurred in March 2023, when she was said to have forced a lady to have a Caesarean section against the consultant’s preferences.

Following an initial fitness-to-practice assessment by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which did not identify any immediate issues with Ms. Basini-Millar, Southmead Hospital initiated an internal inquiry. In March of this year, the NMC concluded its investigation, saying that there was no case for her to answer.

Basini-Millar still makes TikTok videos and works as a midwife in London.