Celebrating International Midwives Day at Western District Health Service
May 16, 2009
May 5 was a special day for the midwives at Western District Health Service, giving them an opportunity to celebrate and promote their profession. And celebrate they did with an afternoon tea shared at work, followed by a “midwives night out” for dinner at Gilly’s restaurant. All in tune with the aim of the day, which is to celebrate midwifery and bring awareness of the importance of midwives’ work to as many people as possible.
The World Health Organisation recognises midwives as “health professionals able to deliver safe, cost-effective maternity services to the majority of families”.
“A midwife is educated to give all necessary care throughout pregnancy, childbirth and the newborn period and believes that childbirth is a normal and significant life event for women and their families.
International Midwives Day is an occasion for every individual midwife to think about the many others in the profession, to make new contact within and outside midwifery and to promote what midwives do for the world”.
And, this year the theme for the day is Aboriginal Midwives for Aboriginal Women. The Australian College of Midwives has developed a scholarship trust fund for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to study to become midwives.
Western District Health Service Chief Executive Officer Mr. Jim Fletcher said” our midwives make an outstanding contribution as part of the team responsible for around 220 deliveries each year. The Board and Management are extremely appreciative of their commitment to the provision of high quality care to mothers and babies in our community.
Photo: Back Row: Sonia Shaw with Jack Rose, Anne Dowling, Emma Hynes with Samuel Barnes
Front Row: Emily McCallum, Maddie Sutherland with Darcy Milne & Jenny Sutherland