International Day of the Midwife 2020
The theme for International Day of the Midwives for 2020 is: Midwives with women: celebrate, demonstrate, mobilise, unite – our time is NOW!
4 May 2020
The theme for International Day of the Midwife for 2020 is: Midwives with women: celebrate, demonstrate, mobilise, unite – our time is NOW!
Undoubtedly the world has changed since we recognised our midwives last year, but the COVID-19 pandemic has only highlighted the important role midwives play in supporting women and families on their birth and parenting journey, even during exceptional times.
There is a lot to celebrate in the way we have adapted our service at St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital to support our families during this time:
- We have changed to online antenatal classes. After a successful month trial on an online meeting platform we are now taking bookings for the 9 May onwards.
- Recognising that our families have lots of questions in the lead up to their birth we launched Midwife Q&A on Instagram Live and take around 20 questions per session from our followers.
- The one visitor policy was daunting at first, but most of our families have embraced the benefits that come with more privacy, utilising their time with us for breastfeeding and one-on-one parent education opportunities.
- We have prepared and practiced scenarios associated with the occurrence of a COVID-19 positive patient (which has thankfully not occurred).
- We launched a post-natal clinic in the Therapy Hub to support those who wish to go home earlier so that they will still receive all the checks normally received as an inpatient.
- We also moved antenatal appointments to the Therapy Hub to reduce foot traffic on the ward while still providing this service.
All of these changes could have not occurred without the support of a fantastic and passionate team of midwives who put our mothers, babies and families at the centre of everything they do.
One of these special midwives, Kristy Wiegele, is being recognised nationally as a finalist in the HESTA Nursing and Midwifery Awards for the category of Midwife of the Year. Her nomination recognises her work with cuddle cots, a program aimed at improving care and support for grieving parents who have experienced pregnancy loss. We wish Kristy all the best for the winner’s announcement on 6 May.
In support of the International day of the midwife we ask you to recognise the midwife who supported you by naming them on social media using the hashtag, #IThank{NAMEYOURMIDWIFE}
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