International Day of the Midwife celebrated at NNUH

The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH) will be celebrating International Day of the Midwife on 5th May, to recognise the achievements of midwives and the importance of midwifery.

International Day of the Midwife is a global celebration of midwifery and is also used to highlight the need to ensure all women have access to a qualified midwife. This year the theme of IDM is “Women and Newborns: The Heart of Midwifery.”

Dr. Padraig O Luanaigh, NNUH Deputy Director of Nursing, is also a midwife, and said: “International Day of the Midwife is a great opportunity to celebrate the amazing work our midwives do providing a quality and safe experience for women and their families throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. The professional care given by midwives contributes to having healthy families across Norfolk so I’m delighted we are recognising the invaluable contribution they make.”

Midwives will join together to attend a celebration cake cutting at 10:45am on Thursday 5th May in the Delivery Suite.

Case Studies:

Jo Keable, Practice Development Midwife

Midwife: Jo Keable, Practice Development Midwife
Jo Keable knew she wanted to be a midwife from the age of seven when her mum was pregnant with her brother. “I knew I wanted to work with women, and although I didn’t fully understand it all at that age, I just thought it was amazing that a baby could be growing inside her tummy and getting bigger and bigger.”

Before she became a midwife Jo was nurse on a general medical ward at the James Paget Hospital. When the opportunity came up to retrain as a midwife at the UEA, she jumped at the chance. Once qualified, she worked on rotation at the JPH, and then spent five years as a specialist midwife in mental health.

14 months ago she joined NNUH as the Practice Development Midwife. As part of her role, when she’s not on clinical duties, Jo helps to train midwives in relation to any changes in safety and effectiveness. She’s part of a team who look at cases which midwives can learn from, and then plans and develops training. It’s a varied job which Jo loves. “I wake up and I’m keen to go to work. It’s a very rewarding job. I love working with women and babies and helping women to have the best birth possible,” she says.

“I also love to see how midwives can develop and learn and how we can make positive changes as a team. It’s exciting place to work because of the opportunities and diversity amongst the women.”
Would Jo recommend a career in midwifery? “Absolutely, I love it. I would say if you’re thinking about training to become a midwife, you need be dedicated and organised, as it’s a busy job!”

Student Midwife: Isobel Cox

Isobel Cox, Student Midwife

Nineteen year old Isobel Cox is a first year midwifery student at UEA. She knew she wanted to work with people after working in a pharmacy, but wasn’t sure if her qualifications would allow her to train to be a midwife. To her delight she was offered an unconditional offer to study at UEA and started the three year course in September 2015.

Isobel’s first year focuses on ‘normal’ low risk births and involves a mixture of lectures and placements at NNUH. Her first placement was in October and she spent time in the community, on the midwifery led birthing unit and on delivery suite observing midwives. “Witnessing my first birth was amazing!” she says. All student midwives are given a named mentor who they shadow, so Isobel can be a range of shifts, depending on where her mentor is allocated. Most of the learning is on the job with more complex high risk pregnancies and births studied in the second and third year.

Is Isobel enjoying her time training at NNUH? Absolutely, “I’m loving it; I definitely have no regrets!” she said. “I really hope to stay at the NNUH once I’ve finished my training.”