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Media Release
International Midwives Day - 5 May 2008
‘Healthy Families: the key to the future
“On Monday the 5th of May, midwives will be celebrating International Midwives Day and reminding everyone of the important and unique that role midwives play,” said Hannah Dahlen, Secretary of the NSW Midwives Association. “This day offers us an opportunity as a society to celebrate midwives and this year we are especially focusing on the family and its future generations.”
This year, around 136 million births will occur worldwide and the professional most likely to be present, is a midwife. “Almost every person alive today has been touched and held at some point by a midwife. Midwives help build healthy families – in the midwives hands is the key to the future,” said Dr Dahlen
Midwifery care is unique in the way it can influence the health of future generations through giving new parents the physical well-being, confidence and self-esteem that arise from a positive birth experience, through breastfeeding support and nutritional education, through assistance with family planning and spacing, and through encouragement of women’s knowledge of their own bodies.
Worldwide, midwives remain women’s first choice for a skilled attendant at birth. “The midwife is the most appropriate professional with the skills to care for women from conception to early motherhood. Midwives are recognised by the World Health Organization as “the most appropriate and cost effective type of health care provider to be assigned to the care of normal pregnancy and normal birth, including risk assessment and the recognition of complications.”
“When women with normal pregnancies are cared for by midwives they are better supported, more satisfied with their care, have less medical acceleration of their labours, require fewer epidurals and episiotomies, have more normal births and fewer babies that are underweight or needed resuscitation or admission to a neonatal intensive care unit,” said Dr Dahlen
In Australia midwives are fast becoming one of the first options childbearing women now consider as care providers. Birth Centres are over-booked, and midwifery continuity of care models are expanding, showing reductions in birth interventions, including caesarean section. “It is frightening to consider that more than one in three women are having major abdominal surgery in order to have a baby in this country. Women are voting with their feet, wanting more access to these models of care,” Dr Dahlen said.
Valyrie Painter, winner of the NSW Midwife of The Year (2008), represents the new wave of midwifery that is taking NSW by storm, giving women a real choice. Valyrie is a midwife at Wyong Hospital working in the Midwifery Group Practice, providing continuity of care to a group of women. Just the mention of her name within the local community brings a smile to the face of anyone who has had any dealings with her. “Lucky you,” the women say when they someone mentions at mothers’ group that Valyrie is their midwife. Valyrie was nominated for being an amazing Midwife, who inspires confidence and passion about birth in pregnant women, and Midwives alike.
“Women deserve a first class maternity service in this country and midwives like Vayrie who form powerful relationships with women during pregnancy, through the birth and into early motherhood are poised perfectly to deliver on this,” said Ms Dahlen.
On the 5th of May remember International Midwives Day!
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Media Release
International Midwives Day - 5 May 2007
‘Midwives reach out to women – wherever they live’
“On Saturday the 5th of May, midwives will be celebrating International Midwives Day and reminding everyone of the important and unique that role midwives play, “said Hannah Dahlen, Secretary of the NSW Midwives Association.
This year, around 136 million births will occur worldwide and the professional most likely to be present, is a midwife.
The latest report on midwifery from the International Confederation of Midwives, the United Nations and World Health Organisation (2006) states that, “Midwives are the primary contact for women and their families…and have the capacity to reach all women, even the poorest, especially those who would otherwise not seek care.”
A synthesis of the best international, scientific evidence available, has led the authors of the world renowned book, A Guide to Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth, to conclude,” It is inherently unwise and perhaps unsafe for women with normal pregnancies to be cared for by obstetric specialists, even if the required personnel are available.” Ms Dahlen said, “these experts made this statement after reviewing the evidence that showed that when women with normal pregnancies were cared for by midwives they were better supported, more satisfied with their care, had less medical acceleration of their labours, required fewer epidurals and episiotomies, had more normal births and fewer babies that were underweight or needed resuscitation or admission to a neonatal intensive care unit.”
Worldwide, midwives remain women’s first choice for a skilled attendant at birth. “The midwife is the most appropriate professional with the skills to care for women from conception to early motherhood. Midwives are recognised by the World Health Organization as “the most appropriate and cost effective type of health care provider to be assigned to the care of normal pregnancy and normal birth, including risk assessment and the recognition of complications.”
In Australia midwives are fast becoming one of the first options childbearing women now consider as care providers. Birth Centres are over-booked, and midwifery continuity of care models are expanding, showing reductions in birth interventions, including caesarean section. “It is frightening to consider that more than one in three women are having major abdominal surgery in order to have a baby in this country. Women are voting with their feet, wanting more access to these models of care,” Ms Dahlen said.
Carolyn Hastie, winner of the NSW Midwife of The Year (2007), represents the new wave of midwifery that is taking NSW by storm, giving women a real choice. Carolyn manages one of the few stand-alone midwifery led units in NSW, the Belmont Birthing Service near Newcastle. A review of the Belmont Birthing Service outcomes demonstrates the value of continuity of midwifery care, with a caesarean section rate of 2.5%, an induction of labour rate of 3.4% and an epidural rate of 4.6%. Carolyn also attends local high schools with her team to talk about pregnancy and childbirth. Carolyn is co-author and co-editor of a soon to be published book titled, Birth Territory and Midwifery Guardianship, that is about the important role midwives have in normalising birth.
“Women deserve a first class maternity service in this country and midwives like Carolyn are poised perfectly to deliver on this,” said Ms Dahlen.
On the 5th of May remember International Midwives Day!
For further information please contact: Hannah Dahlen, Secretary NSW Midwives Association mobile 0407 643 943, Caroline Homer President NSW Midwives Association 0418 466 974. For information about Caroline Hastie, NSW Midwife of the year, contact Anne Saxton 0417473990
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MEDIA RELEASE
Wednesday May 3, 2006
Nicky Leap, NSW Midwives Association's Midwife of the Year 2006
The NSW Midwives Association has awarded their annual Midwife of the Year honour to Nicky Leap. The award is made at this time to celebrate International Midwives Day on Friday the 5th of May.
Nicky Leap is currently the Director of Midwifery Practice in the South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service and an Associate Professor with the Centre for Midwifery and Family Health at UTS. In these roles she works across midwifery research, education and practice, is involved in teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate midwifery students and has been integrally involved in the development and implementation of the Bachelor of Midwifery in three Australian states.
Nicky has been a midwife for over 20 years. She was a founding member of the Albany Midwifery Group Practice in London and has written widely on models of midwifery care and strategies to support midwives and women. She is a well known speaker at international conferences. Nicky has been a pivotal part of the implementation of homebirth through St George Hospital and has been a mentor midwife to the homebirth midwives. Nicky is also leading the introduction of CenteringPregnancy in Australia.
Nicky has made a significant contribution to the NSW Midwives Association and to the Australian College of Midwives. She established ‘Worker Bees’ in NSW which runs alongside the monthly Executive Committee meetings. This group undertakes work to help keep the office running and provides support to midwives and students. Nicky is also the convener of the ACM’s National Standards and Education Taskforce (ANEST). This group represents midwifery leaders throughout the country and is currently involved in developing national standards for midwifery education that are internationally comparable.
Nicky is tireless and never says no to anything. She has endless energy and is an amazing support and inspiration to many of us. She is always determined to keep trying to ensure that midwifery care and services are the best for women and midwives. This award is made for Nicky’s enormous contribution to midwifery in this country. Thank you to Huggies for their generous sponsorship of this award.
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International Midwives Day - 5 May 2006
‘The world needs midwives – now more than ever’
This year, around 136 million births will occur worldwide and the professional most likely to be present, helping the mother, is a midwife.
On Friday the 5th of May, midwives will celebrate throughout the world, reminding everyone of the important and unique role they play in society. Midwifery is one of the oldest professions. Besides their own mothers, the first human touch felt by most people, came from a midwife.
“Where women are cared for by midwives during pregnancy and birth they experience less intervention and more positive outcomes, including greater satisfaction with their birth experiences,” said Hannah Dahlen, Secretary of the NSW Midwives Association.
“The world needs midwives, now more than ever. The world recognises that without you [midwives], there can be no safe motherhood,” said Dr Khama Rogo of the World Bank at the International Congress of Midwives in 2005. This statement comes at a time when the shortage of midwives is an international crisis.
In Australia, increasingly childbearing women are being looked after by nurses and enrolled nurses, due to the shortage of midwives. “This is not providing women with the best care,” Ms Dahlen said. “Surely Australian women deserve to have highly trained midwives caring for them during this life changing event? It does not say much about how society values pregnancy, birth and motherhood-indeed it does not say much about how we value women.”
World wide, midwives remain women’s first choice for a skilled attendant at birth. “The midwife is the only professional with the specialised skills to care for women from conception to early motherhood. Midwives are the biggest constant in childbearing women’s lives,” said Ms Dahlen. They are recognised internationally by the World Health Organization as, “the most appropriate and cost effective type of health care provider to be assigned to the care of normal pregnancy and normal birth, including risk assessment and the recognition of complications.”
Carol Chapman, President of the NSW branch of the consumer organisation Maternity Coalition said, “midwives change the way women experience birth for the better and birth changes the way women and their families experience life. The impact of one-to-one midwifery care is profound and life long.”
Today is a day for midwives to celebrate their enormous contributions to society-it is also a day to ask some serious questions in the hope that we address some of the causes of this workforce crisis. “Why is it that fewer than five percent of childbearing women in this country can access care from a midwife they know through the pregnancy, birth and postnatal period? Why is continuity of midwifery care almost non-existent for women living in rural communities? Why are we not using midwives’ skills to stem the tide of maternal and perinatal mortality in our Indigenous communities when we have the evidence to support this? Why are intervention rates in childbirth now some of the highest in the world? Why are midwives often prevented from practising to their full scope?” Ms Dahlen asks. “Midwives want to practice midwifery. If they can’t do this they won’t join the profession and they will increasingly leave it. Who will catch our babies then?”
“It is time to act! Women deserve a first class maternity service in this country and midwives are poised perfectly to deliver on this,” said Ms Dahlen. “Childbirth is the single biggest use of hospital beds nationally and midwifery care delivers great outcomes in a cost effective manner. It is time the government realised they need to nurtured the midwives, that nurture the mothers, that nurture the future of our country.”
On the 5th of May, remember Midwives Day!
The International Day of the Midwife - 5 May 2006
The world needs midwives – now more than ever
‘The world needs midwives, now more than ever.
The world recognises that without you, there can be no safe motherhood.'
(Khama Rogo, World Bank, former co-chair, Partnership for Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health. Address to 2000 midwives at the ICM 28th Triennial Congress, Brisbane, Australia, July 2005)
May 5 is the day to celebrate midwifery worldwide – to remind ourselves and everybody else of the universal importance of midwives’ work and what midwives stand for. Many people, like Dr Khama Rogo who is quoted above, know of the increasing global need for midwives. But others may ask, ‘Why does the world need midwives?’
The first answer lies in the words ‘safe motherhood’. Midwives help prevent maternal and neonatal deaths and also the disabilities that can result from pregnancy and childbirth. This is the basis and the minimum aim of good midwifery practice. In many countries the risk of death or serious complication during pregnancy has been reduced – and this is often attributed to the expansion and professionalisation of midwifery in earlier decades. Yet in all parts of the world midwives can still play a huge and significant role in enhancing the health of childbearing women and their newborns.
The second answer also lies in the words ‘safe motherhood’ – but here ‘safety’ has a broader implication, meaning that woman after childbirth not only have a healthy body but also a healthy mind. This also has the result that not only mothers and fathers experience the joy and satisfaction of successful birth but their wider families and communities gain pleasure and knowledge from the sight of a confident, empowered woman breastfeeding and caring for her new baby.
Here lies the midwife’s contribution to public health, not just maternal and neonatal health. Health promotion during pregnancy contributes to healthy lifestyles. An informed woman will enter the birth process with confidence. A confident new mother, physically fit and mobile after the experience of birth, is far less likely to suffer anxiety and depression. A healthy and contented mother will feed and care for her baby properly, increasing the chance of a normal, healthy life for both. A happy and enthusiastic mother will join in community life, helping others and spreading knowledge about good practice. A midwife cannot create this precious being, but she can provide the care, support and security needed to nurture these steps in the childbearing cycle: a cycle leading to healthy mothers with healthy families, representing the wealth of nations.
Midwives are women’s first choice for a skilled attendant at birth. They should also be each country’s first choice for the health professional to lead in care for childbearing women. Many other professions contribute valuable skills to assist women with particular needs, as and when a complication arises; the midwife is there throughout.
Everywhere in the world, whether populations are growing or stabilising, whether families have one child or 10, midwifery skills are needed. Why does the world need more midwives? They promote healthy lifestyles, they protect lives and they celebrate life.
Celebrate midwives - celebrate healthy women and healthy babies – celebrate healthy nations!
For more detail about ICM activities visit the ICM website at www.internationalmidwives.org or contact ICM headquarters office
Additional notes
1. The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM)
The ICM is a Confederation of 87 midwifery associations from 73 countries. It was founded in 1919. Its mission is to 'advance world-wide the aims and aspirations of midwives in the attainment of improved outcomes for women in their childbearing years, their newborn and their families wherever they reside’.
2. The International Day of the Midwife (IDM)
Midwives around the world celebrate the 'International Day of the Midwife' on May 5 each year. The ICM launched the 'International Day of the Midwife' initiative in 1992.
The aim of the day is to celebrate midwifery and to bring awareness of the importance of midwives' work to as many people as possible. This is achieved in many different ways according to what works best in each country. Examples of ways in which midwifery associations mark the day include:
• Organising a street parade and rally in a public place
• Setting up stalls in a market to publicise midwifery services and to offer information and advice
• Holding a meeting, workshop or conference to hear about new developments in midwifery and exchange news with other midwives in the region
• Arranging a religious service – often multi-denominational – to celebrate midwifery and safe childbirth
• Giving awards to individual or groups of midwives for special pieces of work
• In countries where midwifery is well established, raising money to help midwives overseas where extra resources are greatly needed (for example buying bicycles for midwives' transport in remote areas, or sponsoring a midwife to attend an important conference).
• Some midwives just get together to talk, eat, drink, sing or dance, and generally give themselves a good time!
The IDM is an occasion for every individual midwife to think about the many others in the profession, to make new contacts within and outside midwifery and widen the knowledge of what midwives do for the world.
3. The ICM and its partners
The ICM carries out much of its work in collaboration not only with its member associations, but also with other health agencies that have an international remit. These include:
The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
• United Nations agencies, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
• global confederations of health professionals, including the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and the International Federation of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (FIGO)
• national government departments with a remit to offer aid for health projects to less developed nations
• international non-governmental organisations (INGOs/NGOs) with a mission that includes promoting the health and wellbeing of mothers and children, e.g. the White Ribbon Alliance (WRA); John Snow International (JSI); the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); Saving Newborn Lives (SNL - part of Save the Children); the Medical Knowledge Institute (MKI); the Prevention of Post-Partum Haemorrhage Initiative (POPPHI); and USAID’s global ACCESS programme
• ICM is also working towards closer alliance with groups who represent mothers and childbearing women, such as the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), the Women’s Access to Health Campaign (WAHC) and the Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR)
NEWS RELEASE Tuesday May 4 2004
INTERNATIONAL MIDWIVES DAY, MAY 5TH 2004
SAFE, AFFORDABLE & SUSTAINABLE MATERNITY CARE
DEPENDS ON BARRIERS BEING LIFTED
On Wednesday 5 May, midwives around the world celebrate the 'International Day of the Midwife’.
Midwives across Australia celebrate their profession and the crucial work they do in partnership with women, providing care, information and support throughout pregnancy, labour and the early weeks following childbirth.
President of the NSW Midwives Association, Pat Brodie warns that the safety of women could be compromised in future years if Health Minister, Morris Iemma does not act immediately to allow more midwifery places in NSW universities”
“Since 16th September 2003 when the new legislation passed through the Upper House of the NSW Parliament, we have been waiting for the commencement of the new Nurses and Midwives Act” said MsBrodie. The new legislation will enable the introduction of the three-year Bachelor of Midwifery (BMid) in this state, which is heralded as a key strategy in relieving the workforce shortages across NSW. (It is estimated that NSW has a shortfall of 500 midwives.)
The B Mid is a very popular course. In Victoria and South Australia (where it has operated for 3 years) approximately ten women have been applying for every place in the course. “For two years, the introduction of the BMid in NSW (through the University of Technology, Sydney) has been delayed. If the legislation is not processed soon, several hundred potential candidates on a waiting list will have to wait another year before they can start their midwifery education,” said Ms Brodie.
“We call upon the NSW Minister for Health Morris Iemma, the Minister responsible for the administration of health legislation in NSW to make immediate steps to ensure that midwives can get on with the job of fixing the workforce problems in this state” said Ms Brodie.
“It is a matter of urgency that the changes in legislation are enacted as soon as possible. There are already large numbers of women who cannot access basic midwifery care and support because of the shortages of midwives” said Justine Caines, National President of Maternity Coalition.
Women in NSW are being denied choice in maternity care, women in regional and rural NSW have to travel long distances to receive care, this is not safe or acceptable. With more midwives, clinics could be established in these areas and care would be enhanced.” Said Ms Caines
NEWS RELEASE Friday May 2 2003
MOTHERS, MIDWIVES CALL FOR END TO BIRTH WITH STRANGERS
WOMEN & MIDWIVES CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL MIDWIVES DAY, MAY 5TH 2003
Pregnant women across Australia are joining forces with midwives to send a clear message to state and federal health ministers that women want the care of a known midwife.
Peak bodies, the Australian College of Midwives and the Maternity Coalition are celebrating International Midwives Day on Monday May 5 by calling on state and federal health ministers to give women greater access to maternity services that offer women the choice of having a primary midwife care for her from early in pregnancy through till after the baby is born.
“Giving birth is a very personal and private thing to do” said Dr Barbara Vernon, President of the national consumer group, the Maternity Coalition. “Women want to be cared for in labour by someone they know and trust. Yet we are routinely depriving women of this basic need by forcing them to give birth in front of complete strangers with dangerous consequences.”
The lack of continuity of midwifery care doesn’t only hurt pregnant women. The lack of opportunity for midwives to practise according to the internationally accepted definition of a midwife—providing women with continuity of care—is contributing to a crisis in the numbers of midwives working. More midwives are now leaving the profession that are choosing to join it creating a drastic shortage in most States.
“There has been no clear commitment from any state or Federal government to develop community midwifery, a model of care that enables continuity of midwifery care, where by.women form a relationship of trust with their primary midwife. This is achievable, sustainable and fundamentally what women want.” said Ms Vanessa Owen, National President of the Australian College of Midwives Inc.
“The withdrawal of services provided by GP’s and Specialist Obstetricians in rural and regional units is highlighted as a crisis. Midwives have always been able to care for women through pregnancy, birth and the post-natal period. They are in-fact considered experts in normal birth by the World Health Organisation; and as the most appropriate and cost effective carer for healthy women (over 80%)” said Ms Owen.
“We know from clinical trials that when women give birth in the care of a midwife they know and trust, they have a much better time of things during labour than if they are cared for by lots of different people they’ve never met” said Dr Vernon. “It’s madness that our maternity services fail to give women this option”.
“Urgent action is required by state and Federal Health Departments to ensure that suitable models of care are available to all women. The Australian College of Midwives Inc supports the right of all women to choose their practitioner, place of birth and suitable model of care. The College also believes the majority of women are not completely informed on the evidence demonstrating the benefits of midwifery led care.” said Ms Owen.
In countries such as New Zealand, the UK, the Netherlands and Scandinavia where access to community midwifery models of care is widely available, women report greater satisfaction with their maternity care. Women who choose midwifery care enjoy significantly better health outcomes that include lower caesarean section rates and fewer newborn complications. The Netherlands has the best maternal and newborn health statistics in the world . Australia is now falling behind the rest of the world.
“Continuity of midwifery care, with medical backup for women who need it, is proven to be safe.. It also leads to better outcomes and is cost effective. We call on all state and federal governments to ensure Australian women are able to access this type of care.” said Dr Vernon
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A fun time was had by all at our International Midwives Day celebratory evening on Friday 2nd May. Our Midwife of the Year was announced as Valyrie Painter from the Central coast. Please follow the link below for some photos of the evening.
http://picasaweb.google.com/NSWMA.2007/IMDMay2008
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