Today we celebrate International Day of the Midwife
On International Day of the Midwife 2021, The Gympie Times celebrates the enormous contribution midwives make to our community. We need to make sure this valuable workforce is not only recognised, but the challenges facing them and those they care for are highlighted and addressed
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Queensland midwives will be celebrated as part of International Day of the Midwife today, Wednesday, May 5.
Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union Secretary Beth Mohle said International Day of the Midwife 2021 would recognise the invaluable work of local and international midwives. Mums and bubs of the Gympie region have been taken care of by some truly amazing midwives over the years and women are still able to deliver their babies in their home town because of our outstanding midwives.
Ms Mohle said this year’s IDM was ‘Follow the data: invest in midwives.’
She said the QNMU was committed to working with Queensland Health and the private sector to invest in a fully engaged and supported midwifery workforce.
Woman and baby taken to Gympie Hospital overnight following car fire
At present, babies born in Queensland hospitals who are not admitted to the nursery and remain with their mother are not counted in workload numbers or included in funding figures.
Put simply, newborn babies who remain with their mother post birth are not counted as an additional patient – despite requiring care from midwives and other considerable hospital resources.
“The QNMU’s Count the Babies Campaign continues to highlight very real concerns around the fact that in Queensland mothers and babies are considered one person despite the level of care and documentation specific to the newborn,” Ms Mohle said.
“This means that Queensland midwives often struggle to provide the quality care they would like for postnatal mothers and babies. It means this important workforce often experiences overwork and under resourcing while providing care for these potentially vulnerable Queenslanders.”
“On International Day of the Midwife 2021, the QNMU celebrates the enormous contribution midwives make to our community. We also call for immediate change to ensure this valuable workforce are not only recognised, but the challenges facing them and those they care for are highlighted and addressed.”
Ms Mohle said for women and families, the immediate day or so after giving birth was often a challenging time and the care provided by midwives had a considerable impact on their experience, health and wellbeing.
She said the ongoing failure to recognise newborn babies as additional patients continued to put intense pressure on the state’s overworked midwives.
“There is a large body of strong scientific evidence based on data that shows continuity of midwifery care reduces preterm birth by 24% and pregnancy loss and neonatal death by 16%,” Ms Mohle said.
“The data shows midwifery care increases normal birth rates, reduces interventions, improves breastfeeding rates and levels of women’s satisfaction with care.
“Counting babies as an additional patient and investing in midwives is an investment in the health and wellbeing of Queensland women, persons, babies and families. These are potentially vulnerable Queenslanders who require and deserve quality care.”
Ms Mohle said the QNMU’s Count the Babies campaign and associated data proved minimum nurse-to-patient and midwife-to-patient ratios were an economically sound methodology that saved lives and improved patient outcomes.
The QNMU gained a commitment from the Palaszczuk Government at the recent state election to pilot ratios in two midwifery sites. This follows on the state government’s 2016 introduction of nurse-to-patient ratios in medical and surgical QH wards. Evidence shows nurse-to-patient ratios have already saved 140 lives and up to $81 million taxpayer dollars.
The Count the Babies campaign continues to call for babies to be counted in midwifery workloads. Currently staffing is generally based on number of mothers – while the newborn is not counted. So while in nursing a ratio of 1:4 patients is used, in maternity there is another human attached to those numbers – pushing the ratio to 1:8 - being four mothers and four babies.
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