"It's a privilege": Being a Yorkshire midwife during coronavirus crisis

Midwives across the region, and the UK, are continuing to play a vital role providing care for women and their babies being born during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has brought unprecedented challenges to the NHS.

Speaking ahead of International Day of the Midwife 2020, Karen Khan, lead midwife for education at the University of Bradford, said the county's midwives recognise the "privilege" of aiding local communities and having the opportunity to support women and their families at such an important time.

She said: “The appeal [of midwifery] is the uniqueness of the relationship you are able to build with women by working in partnership with them to support them through their pregnancy, birth and transition to parenthood."

Every year on May 5 the world recognises and celebrates the work of midwives on International Day of the Midwife.

The county's midwives, like others across the country, have risen to the extraordinary challenge to protect women and babies, and support one another while risking their own personal safety to do the job they love in this unprecedented time.

To boost NHS capacity the Government called on second and final-year healthcare students across the country to volunteer. This includes more than 40 volunteer midwifery students from the University of Bradford.

Mrs Khan said: “There is a bit of apprehension, amongst the students going out into practice, of course."

"The crisis has impacted on services and staffing, with quite a lot of service reconfiguration."

"The students want to support their practice colleagues and help provide care to women during this time, but we must also ensure students can be appropriately supervised in the midst of a crisis," Mrs Khan said.

Students have been deployed early and many have already taken up positions for the NHS in hospitals across Yorkshire including Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford District Care Trust and the Mid-Yorkshire NHS Trust.

Georgia Parker, 19, a second year midwifery student, said: “It's so rewarding.

"You are helping someone at a time in their life they’re never going to forget and the fact you can become involved in that is a privilege."

Ten Mabhara, a fellow second year student said: “I have a strong belief that midwifery is not just a job but a passion.

"Midwives give their all to support and be with women in their most vulnerable moments. We’re professional friends, advocates for women and most importantly help to empower themselves.

"As a profession we've become a part of so many women's histories and life stories, and it truly takes a special kind of person to be a midwife."

The 24-year-old added: “There is actually a saying around in the midwifery world: ‘If you can work in Bradford, you can work anywhere'.

This year, the theme for the International Day of the Midwife is celebrate, demonstrate, mobilise and unite.

Mrs Khan said that while nationally there is a recognised shortage of midwives, maternity services are also undergoing structural change, with a view to providing greater continuity of care for women to improve the quality and safety of care.

“We know the experience of giving birth can have a lifelong impact on health and mental wellbeing, so this is about reducing some of those issues by strengthening the continuity of care so that women know their midwives and feel fully supported throughout the whole experience.”

To celebrate the International Day of the Midwife 2020 use #IDM2020 on social media.

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