NHS Humber Health Partnership is marking International Day of the Midwife this Sunday by showcasing the work of midwives in Hull, Scunthorpe, Grimsby and Goole.
Midwives from Hull University Teaching Hospitals (HUTH) and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole (NLaG) will be sharing their stories on the organisations’ social media pages to celebrate the fantastic contribution they make to health care across East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire.
Rukeya Miah, Head of Midwifery and Neonatal Services at HUTH, said: “I would like to thank all our midwives and Midwifery Support Workers for all that you do to make the experience for our women, parents-to-be, babies and families the best it can be.
“I would like to pay a very special tribute to you all on the International Day of the Midwife 2024.”
Nicola Foster, Head of Midwifery at NLaG, said: “I am very proud of our midwifery teams and the care that they give and on International Day of the Midwife this year, I would like to say a huge thank you to all of the midwives working within our maternity service.
“The teamwork, kindness and flexibility demonstrated daily is absolutely amazing.”
Here are just some of the midwives who will be featured as part of the celebrations this weekend.
GEMMA BUTTERWORTH – MAPLE WARD, HULL WOMEN AND CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
From a young age, Gemma Butterworth knew she wanted a career in midwifery after her own aunt went into premature labour with twins. While her cousin Laura passed away shortly after birth, the other twin Jade, who weighed just 1lb 2oz at birth, survived against the odds.
Gemma says: “I was fascinated with the intensive care and journey of neonatal life. I knew from a young age that I wanted to care for women and babies.”
When she was 18, Gemma studied Adult Nursing at the University of Hull, deciding to go into nursing first to help build her life skills. Qualifying in 2004, she worked in the Accident and Emergency Department for a year, enhancing her knowledge and skills.
Gemma started midwifery training in 2005, became a mum herself just a year later and qualified as a Midwife in 2007, beginning her career at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital. She was a Rotational Midwife, working in all areas of midwifery including the antenatal ward, delivery and post-natal ward, until 2017 when she became one of the Core Midwives on Maple Ward, the hospital’s antenatal ward.
She is now Junior Sister on Maple Ward and also supports her colleagues as a Professional Midwifery Advocate, sharing career or education advice, supporting them with any difficulties they face and helping them find their voice.
No two days are the same for Gemma. “A typical day entails either running a busy induction of labour clinic, co-ordinating the antenatal ward or caring for those having elective caesarean sections,” she says. “Every day is different and can be challenging but I enjoy the variation in roles.”
For Gemma, the best part of her job is supporting families. “It’s knowing that you made a difference in their care – this means so much.”
The hardest part is when a pregnancy doesn’t go to plan and there’s an unexpected outcome. “Delivering bad news is difficult and heart-breaking,” she says. “But we have an amazing team who are empathetic and strive to give the best possible care in the most difficult of circumstances.”
LOUISE COOPER, COMMUNITY MIDWIFE IN BRIGG
Working as a Community Midwife, Louise Cooper will never forget helping one family following a traumatic first pregnancy.
“One of the most special memories I have is supporting a woman and her family from her booking appointment throughout her whole pregnancy and in a beautiful birth at home, just as she had planned, after a traumatic time in her first pregnancy,” Louise says. “It was great for her and for me to see a woman through her whole pregnancy experience, building a great bond and resulted in a great experience of birth.”
Louise has been a midwife for more than seven years after completing her training at the University of Hull, working at Scunthorpe General Hospital on Ward 26, then on CDS and now in the community.
She decided to become a midwife after the same community midwife guided and supported her through all three of her own pregnancies.
“She got me through some tough times,” Louise says. “I’d always been interested in midwifery and mentioned it to her one day and she said to just go for it, so I did!”
Louise works at Brigg Midwifery Centre in the Antenatal Clinics, dealing with various stages of pregnancy. She supports home births and also carries out postnatal visits, completing postnatal and baby checks.
Louise, who lives in Lincoln with her three children and two dogs, will be working on International Day of the Midwife this Sunday and she’s hoping to celebrate with cake. And, her advice to anyone wishing to follow a career in midwifery is just this – “If you have a passion and want to do it, do it!”
NIKOLA DONNER, LABOUR WARD MIDWIFE AT HULL WOMEN AND CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
To celebrate International Day of the Midwife, Nikola Donner will be raising a glass to all her colleagues who make such a difference to the families they see.
“Our midwives, managers, midwifery assistants, obstetric and anaesthetic team, ward clerks, hygienists, cleaners, caterers, porters – the list goes on,” she says. “Happy International Day of the Midwife, everyone!”
Nikola has been a midwife for almost 10 years and works as a Midwife on Labour Ward at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital.
“If I play a part in supporting and bringing families together in such an important time then I can go home feeling like I did a good job that day,” she says. “It’s such a joy being a small part of families’ stories.”
After three years’ training at the University of Hull, Nikola qualified in 2015.
“Every day is so different. One day I can be in theatre, the next facilitating a water birth to another supporting a family coping with loss. Whatever the day, I am proud to be part of a dedicated team of midwives, midwifery assistants, doctors, housekeepers and cleaners to our specialist teams.”
Nikola also works as a student link on the ward, supporting Student Midwives who come onto the Labour Ward as part of their training and is really optimistic about the new generation of midwives qualifying over the next few years. “We have a wonderful generation of midwives coming though,” she says.
Her advice to anyone considering a career in midwifery – prepare yourself! “It’s busy,” she says. “Some days are hard but if you can give a little bit of yourself to families and care for each family like they are your own, this is the career for you.”
AMY FARROW, CONTINUING MIDWIFE IN GRIMSBY
A high point in Continuity Midwife Amy Farrow’s career so far is caring for a woman through her surrogacy journey.
“The atmosphere in the room was second to none – such excitement, love and joy,” Amy says. “Caring for the parents and their newborn baby was delightful. It was a pure privilege.”
Amy wanted to become a midwife after having her own three children and qualified in 2020.
She worked on Jasmine Team before joining Poppy Continuity Team in 2021, building up relationships throughout the stages of pregnancy as they attend their appointments at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby as well as in a community setting in the town one day a week.
“Working in the continuity team, I get to build rapport with them, setting them at their first booking appointment, throughout their pregnancies and then as a family once their babies are born,” she says.
Amy, who will be on shift today as we mark International Day of the Midwife, advises anyone considering a job in midwifery to “do it. She says: “Studying is hard work but worth it.”