Midwife – Tapuhi ā Whare

“I love all of my jobs and find the variety leaves each day different and interesting.  I also especially enjoy knowing that I am part of the change for our community.”

– Rose Martin, Midwife

 

About the Career

Midwifery is a very meaningful and rewarding career. Midwives support whānau during both vulnerable and exciting times of their lives. Pregnancy and early parenting is a time of change and big challenges for parents, families and whānau.

Midwives provide care and support to women during, pregnancy, labour and birth, and up to six weeks following birth, also providing helpful advice for mothers, such as information and breastfeeding, immunisation and good parenting practices.

To become a qualified Midwife, you need to gain a Bachelor degree (Midwifery). You can study this in Auckland, Waikato, Otago or Canterbury or via distance learning in Taranaki.  This prepares you to work as a hospital midwife or in the community.

Practical experience is a key part of any midwifery programme. Students spend much time in clinical practice, developing the skills to become a confident and competent midwife.

Qualities you need

  • Midwives need:
    • to be patient and care about women and whānau
    • to have strong empathy and compassion
    • to be able to work well with all people from all cultures and backgrounds
    • to remain calm under pressure and in emergencies
    • to be a problem solver and able to make good decisions
    • be good at managing time and keeping things confidential
    • an understanding of other cultures’ attitudes to pregnancy and childbirth

 

Career Pathway

Find out more about Midwifery careers here: https://www.careers.govt.nz/jobs-database/health-and-community/health/midwife/

 

Our Whānau Career Story

Rose Martin – Midwife

Where do I work and what do I do?

I am the Pou Haumanu | Tau te Moe Taranaki (SUDI) Prevention programme Lead Midwife, for Taranaki DHB. I currently work at Taranaki Base Hopsital as a Midwife (hospital core staff), Antenatal teacher and SUDI (Sudden Unexplained Death of an Infant) Prevention programme lead, in the Te Pa Hārakeke team (Māori Health). I also work at Hapū Wānanga Taranaki as an Antenatal facilitator.

When I work on shift as a midwife at the hospital, I help hāpu māmā during their pregnancy, birth and postnatal period. Every shift is different and every whānau as well.  I especially love getting to hold the pepe or assisting the māmā with breastfeeding and watching the whanau grow in confidence and aroha.

My SUDI prevention role requires me to provide safe sleeping and smoking cessation messages to whānau and provide a safe sleep bed to those that need them.  This is especially important for our Māori whanau who are at higher risk of SUDI than other populations. Lastly, I’m an antenatal facilitator at Hapū wānanga Taranaki, a kaupapa Māori labour, birth and parenting programme designed for young pregnant women and their whānau.

What was my career pathway to get where I am / and what led me to this?

I’ve done a multitude of different jobs over the years! I was in hospitality and worked in a supermarket as a teenager.  I then was a Navy Officer in lots of different roles. I also worked in document control in construction and in Human Resources for a cleaning company. I then had my first pepi, that’s when I found out that midwives even existed!  I realised that I love and appreciate the journey that women go through to become mothers and thought that I could help guide them during their biggest transformation in life.

I began studying a Bachelor of Health degree, specialising in Midwifery.  The degree has a large clinical placement requirement, where you’re expected to deliver 40 babies before you graduate.  This is under supervision of a qualified midwife but offers a lot of experience and guidance.

“My why” for doing this job and making a difference for Māori

I appreciate the big change that motherhood can be for women, and I enjoy being a part of their journey and hopefully can empower women into knowing their strength.

Māori face higher adverse health outcomes and although it’s important that all communities receive excellent care, Māori need extra support within the health system. My SUDI prevention programme addresses this directly and I’m able to affect change by providing a safe sleep bed to ensure that every sleep for a pepi is a safe sleep.

When doing a midwife shift, seeing a familiar face helps women feel comfortable within the hospital setting, which at times can be scary. Also, at Hapū wānanga I help teach mothers about birth, postnatal care, their options and informed consent.  This helps them navigate the health care system with empowered knowledge and to advocate for themselves and whānau.

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