When I delivered my first baby, I was so excited I wrote about it for a magazine. The letter was published and I earned R20! Since then I have worked with many women in the ante-natal clinic, hospitals and childbirth education classes.
The midwife has multiple responsibilities – firstly to the woman and her baby, to the baby’s father, siblings and extended family and also to her place of work – or organisation if she is in private practice. Practising midwives need to register annually with the South African Nursing Council and it’s in her own interest to attend updating seminars and courses to keep abreast with new practices and research.
What I enjoy most about midwifery is that it’s the happy side of nursing. While childbirth is not spared the unexpected, 90% of our work is dealing with positive outcomes. Women may forget what you said and did for them, but they will never forget how you made them feel – strong, special and confident to cope with the change in role from that of woman to mother!
So, on Tuesday 5th May, I salute midwives around the world and I ask you to join me. Midwives who greet their patients with “Hello my sweetie – how are you?” who urge women to “push” or “wait” or “pant”. Who pick Dad up off the floor after he has cut the cord, who patiently answers the same questions every mother asks, who tells every parent that their baby is just the cutest little tiger/angel in the nursery and who cleans up the mess afterwards!
Midwives are women (men can also be midwives) who tell you ‘you can’, when you feel that you can’t. Midwives understand the agony of labour and the ecstasy of birth. They understand the sacrifice of relinquishing ‘self’ – mind, body and soul – for her baby, her baby’s father and her family. Midwives have been ‘with women’ since the dawn of time and they will be there to deliver your grandchildren!
