Today (Friday, 5th May 2023) the HSE National Women and Infants Health Programme, together with the HSE Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director, honour and celebrate midwives crucial care contribution to women and babies across the island of Ireland.
Midwives and student midwives gathered to celebrate International Day of the Midwife 2023 at the All-Ireland National Midwifery Conference, held in the Aviva Stadium, Dublin. The all-island conference is one of many International Day of the Midwife celebrations held across the globe which aims to recognise the important role of the midwife and the essential care they provide to mothers and newborns.
The conference showcased examples of good practice, and shared innovative ways of addressing and combatting the challenges faced by midwives – including research on student midwives experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, work on reducing burnout, self-care practices, and innovative parent education projects, like ‘Breastfeeding Snakes and Ladders’ pioneered by midwives in Wexford. The Conference also showcased an ‘Honour Collage’ – a collection of messages, from midwives to midwives, encouraging each other, recognising each other and promoting midwifery as a career choice.
Bernard Gloster, HSE CEO, welcomed the conference, and said; “International Day of the Midwife is an important day – a chance to celebrate the profession, and, in keeping with the Conference theme, a chance to honour midwives contribution to the care of mothers and newborns. I am delighted that the All Ireland Midwifery Conference has acknowledged the significant contribution of midwives and student midwives during the pandemic, and now in the recovery phase. It is a chance for me to say ‘Thank You’ for what you did during that challenging time for all of our citizens.”
Chief Nursing Officer, Department of Health, Rachel Kenna said, “On this the International Day of the Midwife 2023 myself and my team in the CNO’s office would like to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to all midwives and student midwives for the support and continued collaboration to improve care and services across the system for our patients.”
Speaking at the Conference, Angela Dunne, National Lead Midwife in the HSE National Women and Infants Health Programme said, “International Day of the Midwife is a great opportunity to say how exceptionally proud we are of how our maternity services have risen to unprecedented challenges by adapting services and adopting new technologies to ensure women and babies continue to receive high quality safe care.”
HSE National Lead for Midwifery in the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Service Director, Margaret Quigley, reflecting on the day, said “In celebrating the profession of midwifery here in Ireland, the Conference was also an opportunity to focus on the key investments made by the HSE and Department of Health to implement the National Maternity Strategy 2016, and specifically the progress in relation to the supported care pathway.”
Last updated on: 05 / 05 / 2023
