UMHL midwives all set for International Day of the Midwife
MIDWIVES from University Maternity Hospital Midwife have been preparing for this week’s International Day of the Midwife (Friday 5th May) by visiting local secondary schools to promote midwifery as a career.
The theme this year is ‘Together Again: From Evidence to Reality’ reflecting the efforts of midwives globally to action evidence from major international reports on midwifery towards meaningful change, both for the profession, and the women and families who midwives care for.
It’s a celebration of and focus on the importance of midwifery that calls attention to the improvements needed globally to ensure all pregnant women have access to qualified midwives and appropriate maternity services.
In the run-up to their annual day of commemoration, midwives from UMHL have been reflecting on their careers, with some participating in the outreach events at local school.
Stephanie Ryan, a Clinical Midwife Manager (CMM1) at UMHL said: “The most enjoyable aspect of my role is the opportunity to care for women at such a crucial stage in their lives, it is an honour and privilege.”
Her colleague, Rachel Hannon (acting CMM2), said: “While my day is very busy, and filled with variety, my favourite part is meeting with the women who attend our hospital. I love to chat with them, and it’s a real privilege to ensure that women always feel safe and feel involved in their care. My priority is always to ensure that every woman feels both safe and heard.”
On International Day of the Midwife, UMHL will host a special lunch event where midwifery staff will give presentations on their roles. Commemorative birth certificates will be given to the mums of all babies born in UMHL on the International Day of the Midwife.
Director of Midwifery at UL Hospitals Group, Eileen Ronan, said that few things in life are more important than making sure that each woman and new-born baby has access to the best possible care, before, during and after birth.
“A midwife prepares women and their families for the birth of their new baby, and is a vital presence during all stages of pregnancy, labour and the early postnatal period. As a career, midwifery is diverse and progressive, with options available in clinical, management, education and research roles. Throughout their training, midwives can gain experience and skills across different specialist areas, such as neonatal, theatre, Perinatal Mental health, & Community Midwifery Integrated services.”
Midwifery services are increasingly moving from the hospital to the community. This evolving role has given rise to many opportunities for midwives to develop as professional in clinical specialist roles and Advanced Midwifery Practitioners (RAMPs) in supported care, assisted care pathway , Perinatal mental health services & Neonatal . Midwifery as a career is very rewarding, dynamic and self-fulfilling, and we would encourage students thinking about their career options to consider midwifery.
Ms Ronan concluded: “It’s appropriate that this year in particular, we use the platform of International Day of the Midwife not just to celebrate our successes and the importance of midwifery, but also to remind women of the midwifery care and services that are ever-present at UMHL throughout the extraordinary times we’re living through as a result of COVID-19.”
My name is Rachel Hannon. I have been a proud member of the midwifery team in University Maternity Hospital Limerick (UMHL) since I left secondary school in 2010. I began my professional career by completing a Bachelor of Science in Midwifery in the University of Limerick. I qualified as a registered midwife in 2014. I have always been committed to professional development, and in 2019 I qualified as a registered midwife prescriber.
I am currently working as a Clinical Midwife Manager on Ward M3, this ward is a high risk antenatal ward. This means we care for women who have not yet birthed their babies, but who have complications of their pregnancy. Sadly, a large part of our role on M3 also involves caring for bereaved families. As a team on M3, we feel honoured to be part of bereaved family’s journeys and we strive to make that journey as smooth as is possible.
Every day on M3 looks different. We are an exceptionally busy unit, with quite a large turnover of women. I begin my day by getting a handover from the midwives on night shift. Once I have completed the handover, I contact the admissions unit to establish how many women will need to be electively admitted to M3. This number changes constantly, and our day on M3 can end up looking very different than originally planned.
My next role is to liaise with the wider multidisciplinary team which includes perinatal mental health team, medical social worker team, physiotherapy team, bereavement team and the ultrasound team. We discuss patient care together, and we make plans that are woman centred. After completing these phone calls, I leave the midwives station and meet with the women. M3 is always a hive of activity in the morning. The midwives and student midwives will be assessing and talking to the women. At the same time, our doctors will also be on the ward. Each women on M3 is seen by a doctor every day.
Together, as a team (doctor, midwife, woman), we make a plan for the day. I usually spend my mornings meeting each woman and ensuring that she is happy with her plan of care, and that she has no questions or concerns. At 13.00pm every day we have a “labour ward huddle’. Members of the multidisciplinary team of obstetric, paediatric& midwife meet to discuss the activity in each area and high risk patients. It is a great opportunity to seek advice from other colleagues.
In the afternoons, after lunch breaks, I take the time to do complete some important administrative work. I spend this time doing rotas, planning changes in the ward, meeting with various teams to ensure that our practice is always up-to-date and women centred.
While my day is very busy, and filled with variety, my favourite part is meeting with the women. I love to chat to every women, every day (where possible). It’s a great opportunity to ensure the women of M3 always feel safe, and feel involved in their care. My priority on M3 is always to ensure that every women safe and heard.
Sadly, but also excitedly, I will shortly be leaving M3. I am about to start a new role, of candidate Midwife Practitioner for Assisted Care Pathway(cAMP). As part of this role, I (with lots of my wonderful colleagues) will be setting of a new service for the women who attend UMHL. We aim to set up a Fetal Assessment Unit (FAU). Our goal in the FAU is to allow a more outpatient management approach to high risk antenatal care. Where medically safe, instead of women being admitted to M3, they will attend the FAU to be seen each day. Our goal is to keep women at home with their families, but with a firm focus on patient safety. I will be really sad to leave my colleagues, and work on M3. However, I am really excited to see improvements in patient care in UMHL, and I feel really honoured to be a part of that.
My name is Stephanie Ryan. I am a staff midwife working at University Maternity Hospital Limerick. I have been a midwife here for 5 years. I am from Kildare but attended college in Limerick and I have never left!
At the moment I have very few hobbies as I am studying to attain a Masters in Midwifery Practice at UCD. My free time is spent studying or at the gym.
A typical working day for me starts in the Maternity Emergency Unit (MEU). We are a very busy unit. As part of my role as a midwife in MEU, I perform a full clinical assessment of each woman. I assess plan and implement care while working simultaneously between admitting elective admissions and assessing emergency presentations. The early pregnancy assessment unit are also facilitated in MEU. Additionally, MEU offers an over-the-phone advice service to women.
What I enjoy about my work is that every shift in the emergency unit is different, challenging, and rewarding. As midwives in MEU we get the opportunity to utilise and enhance our midwifery skills on each shift as we meet a wide variety of obstetric cases. The most enjoyable aspect of my role is the opportunity to care for women at such a crucial stage in their lives, it is an honour and privilege.
My favourite part of my working day is coming on shift to my lovely colleagues in MEU. We have an amazing team of midwives whom all encourage and support each other. Which is paramount to the efficiency of the unit.
My most memorable moment to date is the advancement of my midwifery career in the recent promotion to CMM1. I am very grateful and look forward to the new experiences and challenges ahead.