May 5, 2017, by Cara

Happy International Day of the Midwife!

Today was International Day of the Midwife, a day where there is recognition for all the wonderful work midwives do around the world. I feel full of pride when I think of midwifery and what it means to be a student midwife. I often try to compare other professions to midwifery but find that it is completely unique. To me, midwifery is an art and also a science. It is a profession that is a privilege to be a part of and one that I feel is a huge part of my identity.

Today I want to look to all the midwives who have inspired me and continue to do so on a daily basis. These include lecturers, mentors and researchers. I think it is fair to say that midwifery is definitely a “work of the heart”. We do what we do because we are passionate despite all of the challenges midwives face on a daily basis in the modern healthcare system.

Today we had the privilege of having a lecture with Denis Walsh and Mark Harris. It was refreshing to hear a male’s perspective on feminism and its role within midwifery. It was interesting to hear about Denis’ thoughts about how midwives are expected to gain experience in a consultant led unit before being able to work in a midwifery led unit despite midwives primarily focussing on normality.

Mark also kept us engaged and reminded us how important it is to give power back to the women we care for using language. He also discussed how ‘orgasm and birth are the same event separated by time’, looking into how our environment and hormones play a part in birth. Mark also gave us all a brilliant insight into how we can incorporate partners in the birthing process and gave a males perspective on birth.

Our very own Michael started off the lecture by telling us what midwifery meant to him and talked about THAT connection we make with the women we care for and the power of just one look. Michael’s words really struck a chord with me and summed up perfectly how incredible it is to be a part of midwifery. Also, a huge well done to all those who ran to the bake sale and raffle, a fabulous £245.46 was raised for Maternity Worldwide.

I hope midwifery continues to have the recognition it deserves, I will forever be in awe.

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