Celebrating International Day of the Midwife
On Thursday 5 May we’re marking International Day of the Midwife and thanking our midwives and maternity support workers for their hard work, compassion and dedication. It's undoubtedly been a year like no other, as the challenge of providing outstanding care to women and their families has been made all the more difficult by the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Natasha Stringer, Deputy Head of Midwifery for Risk and Clinical Governance, started working with #TeamUHDB at the start of April after moving from University Hospitals of Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.
Natasha has worked within the NHS for 21 years, qualifying as a midwife in 2006 after training at Good Hope Hospital and then in 2015 qualified as a nurse. Natasha said: “I have predominantly worked as a midwife for the majority of my career. Most recently, I have moved into a more specialised role supporting governance and patient safety for women, babies and families that utilise the service.
Natasha decided she wanted to become a midwife after having a positive and fulfilling birth experience with her second child at Queen’s Hospital Burton. She said: “The midwives at Queen’s Hospital Burton taught me an example of what positive midwifery is – I’d always wanted to be a midwife, but this experience made me realise I could do it.”
My biggest message for midwives on International day of the Midwife is recognition of how difficult it has been for us throughout the pandemic – and the women and families we care for. Now is the opportunity for us to come together and celebrate what we have achieved together as a team and supporting one another throughout this period of.
“Being a midwife isn’t just a job – it’s a vocation. Midwifery is something that runs through your veins, its not something where you can come home and switch off – it is integrated into every part of your life. Although it is a challenging career, you have some of the most fantastic moments and you are really privileged to support families through this special time in their lives.”