Day marks midwifery as a special profession

Gisborne Hospital's midwifery team (from left): registered nurse Lisa Smith, NZ College of Midwives co-president Beatrice Leatham, Lesley Turnbull, Mary Croskery (holding Freddie Humphreys, new baby of Nick and Claudia Humphreys), Juliette Lasserre, midwife manager Lidil Merlini, maternity quality and safety lead Regina Maningas and midwifery student Te Awa Clendon.

The “amazing” midwifery team in Tairāwhiti has been acknowledged as part of International Day of the Midwife 2024.

The official date – last Sunday – and the ensuing week has been an opportunity to thank “all the wonderful midwives across Aotearoa” and for the Gisborne public to thank the midwifery team, Health NZ-Tairāwhiti says.

Many midwives use this time to celebrate midwifery as a special profession.

“International Day of the Midwife is an opportunity to reflect on what we do as a team and what we do in the community,” midwife Juliette Lassarre said.

Colleague Lesley Turnbull said midwives strived to empower women and whānau to believe in themselves.

“We enjoy helping whānau to become parents.”

This year’s theme is Midwives, a Vital Climate Solution, which the Gisborne Hospital midwifery team related to the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.

Midwife Beatrice Leatham said: “During the cyclone, we rallied around our community to ensure that all māmā, pēpi and whānau members were well cared for.

“As climate change continues to produce wild weather events, our tightknit team here in Tairāwhiti are ready to adapt and take on any challenges.”

In support of International Day of the Midwife, Gisborne Hospital midwifery manager Iidil Merlini and director of midwifery Nerissa Walters gave a special thanks to their team “for consistently going above and beyond to keep our community safe and for ensuring that all whānau are well supported to give their pēpi the best start in life”.