Midwives – leading the way with quality care

3 May 2018

Did you know more than 40,000 women and three million infants around the world die each year from preventable complications from pregnancy and childbirth?

The World Health Organisation, several United Nations agencies and other international bodies have identified midwives as the key in reducing maternal and newborn deaths and disabilities globally, which is why it’s important for us to recognise the wonderful work our midwives do each year.

St John of God Health Care Group Director of Nursing Cynthia Dowell said with more than 780 midwives employed by the not-for-profit organisation it was important to celebrate the care provided by our maternity experts.

“International Day of the Midwife is such a great time to focus on our midwives who help us welcome more than 12,000 babies into the world each year,” she said.

Cynthia said the introduction of a mobile surveying tool, NPS, which asks each patient if they would recommend our hospital to others on a scale of zero to 10 had provided some really interesting insights about what new mums value from our midwives.

“The feedback is really interesting and it is clear that mothers really value the support they receive in hospital and one mum even mentioned how important that support was when sleep deprivation with a newborn was too much to bear,” she said.

“One of the things that mothers regularly say is that having a range of advice, tips and tricks from our midwives is really helpful.

“Another mum said that it was not just the information but the emotional support as well that is vital.”

Cynthia said midwives played an important role in maternity care alongside obstetricians and paediatricians.

“Midwives provide comprehensive information during hospital visits, parent education classes and during the birth of your baby,” she said.

“Our midwives assist new parents with identifying the appropriate community resources available on leaving the hospital to ensure that families are aware of the opportunities to access support.”