International Day of the Midwife 2024 (3/5/2024)

Midwives from the Launceston General Hospital celebrated an international day early with their annual walk. Video by Aaron Smith (3/5/2024)

Transcript

00:00We know traditionally that midwives are very passionate and very caring and you

00:08know put women and their families front and centre and so today I'm here on

00:13behalf of the Australian College of Midwives. I'm the chair of the College of

00:16Midwives in Tasmania. I'm here, we are all here to celebrate midwives and the

00:21passion that they have and just to say thank you for everything that they do.

00:27The walk was wonderful, we had a great time. We had cupcakes, we had chocolate, we

00:32had midwifery socks and we had lots of topping which midwives are really good

00:36at and we had wonderful weather. So I mentioned last year it was wet but it

00:41didn't stop us and in fact nothing would stop us because we're such a passionate

00:45bunch. We've had a wonderful day and I would just like to further extend a big

00:50thank you to all the wonderful midwives in Australia and here in Tasmania for

00:54all they do for women and their babies. For the moment, for Flinders Island, at

00:59the moment I am the midwife that travels but perhaps down the track another

01:03midwife will come alongside me and we might do alternative months. As it is

01:10now in the Launceston greater community there are already antenatal clinics set

01:15up for women in communities so for example Beaconsfield, Georgetown,

01:21Ravenswood and Deloraines has just commenced which is fabulous so women are

01:25not having to travel out of their communities they can seek midwifery

01:28support and their care and also have a conduit I guess to between them in their

01:36community and the LGH Hospital where they come to deliver their babies. Because I

01:40work already in the LGH Hospital I can work as a conduit between the LGH and

01:46the service on Flinders Island and the GP network on Flinders Island so it can

01:52be really a win-win in that regard. So the ladies don't have to repeat all

01:58their information it's in the system and when they come to have their babies the

02:02information's there so that's great, great for them too. It's the continuity of care as

02:08well and to be an advocate for them as well when they come, somewhat a familiar face.

02:16you